Archive for January, 2012
Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel
My nails are in an absolutely shocking state lately. Too many applications of red nail polish resulting in stained nails, forgetting to moisturise my hands daily, using nail polish remover that dries out the cuticles and not pushing them back.
Thankfully, I have Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel on hand to fix me up. Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel contains Sodium Hydroxide to lightly (you won’t feel it) dissolve the disgusting cuticle build up as well as green tea extract and aloe vera to soften the cuticle, allowing you to push it back and start fresh.
Put some gel on each cuticle. The tip of the tube is quite thin so it shouldn’t be too hard to get the right amount.
Leave the gel on for 1-2 minutes. The directions say ‘no longer than 10 minutes’. I’ve never left it on for more than 10 minutes so I’m not sure what happens if you do, but I’d just do as I’m told and go the 1-2 minutes if I were you.
While the gel is still on your nails, push the cuticles back. You shouldn’t have any difficulty doing this and the gel will turn a milky white colour instead of being clear because the dead cuticles will have dissolved off. Once all the cuticles are pushed back wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
All done! Ready to moisturise and paint. No more crappy cuticles. Huzzah!
Revitanail Cuticle Remover Gel can be purchased from Myer, David Jones, Priceline, Priceline Pharmacy and selected pharmacies nationwide for $14.95/30mL
Outfit of the Day – Australia Day
I haven’t gone out on Australia Day for a few years but my friend Kristia has moved here from Miami and it was her first one so I was really excited to actually do something.
We went to Bondi, to Cream Tangerine, and it was actually really fun! I’ve heard some bad ‘reviews’ of parties at Cream Tangerine but aside from a handful of guys in douchy singlets and a couple of overly-spray-tanned girls it was great. The music was fantastic (not sure who the dj was), it was easy to get drinks, there were heaps of happy, friendly people and it was just a nice overall feel.
After Bondi we went to Ms G’s for dinner – never not loving that place – and then to The Norfolk for a couple before heading home. I had to work yesterday so I wanted to be settled in to bed ready for the day ahead.
Before heading to Cream Tangerine we went to check out the KARL pop-up ‘store’ in Bondi. Umm, clearly I was confused because it was not an actual shop. It was a wall with a big photo of some of the styles available. I guess the concept was actually kind of cool, you had the chance to win the clothing with the use of an iPad app, but even after having a tonne of goes I didn’t win. I think a girl next to me won something because she was squealing.
We did get this cute tote and tshirt, though. It looks as if most of the KARL collection is already sold out on NetAPorter but, to be honest, I’m not completely in love with it. I feel like we’ve seen a lot of it before. Silver jeans – Sass & Bide, sheer shirts are even available in cute designs from Supre these days, so personally I won’t be buying anything from the collection.
Here’s what I wore on the day. I didn’t get a chance to take full photos, but hopefully you get the idea.
Jacket – Sass & Bide Shorts – Ksubi Singlet – Supre Shoes – Converse Bag (not shown) – Marc Jacobs
Nad’s Gel Facial Wand
I’ve been meaning to write about the Nad’s Gel Facial Wand for a few months now. It’s the highlight of my day whenever I need to wax again. It actually makes me wish I had a moustache so I could wax that off too.
If you’re like me and extremely skeptical about having your brows ‘done’ by anyone else, this is the perfect tool. It’s also a great product if you want to save money and start doing your brows at home. Honestly, this is the only option for me. I’ve had my eyebrows waxed about three times in my life and the beauticians have never ‘got’ my look, leaving me with thin, sparse brows that had heaps of space in the middle.
Nad’s Gel Facial Wand is SO easy to use. Here’s how:
I like to start by brushing all the eyebrows in an upward direction so I can see the natural shape of the brow. This helps in finding the strays and for determining how much you want to take off. It’s good to brush your eyebrows regardless – I do it at least once a day – to encourage growth and get rid of dead hairs.
Because the wand has such a fine tip, the shape you’re going for will be really accurate. I’ve actually been enjoying trying out different brow shapes and arches just because I can. Although I hate thin eyebrows, I went for a thinner look this time around because I think it looks good with dewy, Summery makeup with highlighted brow bones.
Apply a thin layer to the hairs you want to remove and lay a small fabric strip over the top. Smooth over lightly and rip in the opposite direction that the hair is growing.
My apologies for the grossness of the next picture, but I wanted to show you how effective just a small bit of wax can be.
Here’s the final result. Obviously, like with any wax, you’ll have some redness. This subsides quite quickly particularly because you’re not using hot wax. I find that any excess wax washes off really easily with water.
My only problem with the wand is that it only comes with about 10 strips. I go through at least two per wax so I’ve had to make do with other bits of fabric or wax strips from other packets I had at home.
Although the wand is small (6g), I’ve only used about a quarter of it for about half a dozen waxes so at $13.95 you’re getting a huge bargain.
A little tip – don’t leave the wax on too long before ripping it off. Although not hot, the wax does melt with your own body heat so you can be left with a wetter, not so tacky/sticky wax which won’t work as well if you’re not relatively quick.
You should be able to pick up Nad’s Gel Facial Wand from Coles, Woolies and Priceline stores. What are you waiting for? Take back control of your brows!!
Just In Case You Care…
…about the one millionth opinion on the Golden Globe fashions.
I’m not going to say too much, I only have a handful of favourites.
Nicole Kidman
I know most people don’t like her but I think she’s stunning. She’s so striking in real life and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Surgery or not, you can’t deny those icy blue eyes against that alabaster skin. Normally I don’t like pale on pale but the colour of this dress looks gorgeous. She makes me wish I didn’t spend so much time in the sun.
Sofia Vargara
Duhhhh. Had she gone for red or black I wouldn’t have been completely sold, but teal was the perfect surprise colour for this red carpet classic and she does glamour so, so well.
Julianna Margulies
Julianna usually gets it pretty right and today was no exception. Loooooove the juxtaposition between her earrings and the dress. Imagine if you described her dress to someone: “it’s a long-sleeved, purple sequin number”. Massive slant. But it works so well. I think it’s the matte sequins that really take it to another level, and the fact it’s not glitzy makes it really modern and sexy.
Charlize Theron
Charlize is blowing my fricken mind. Baby pink, volume, a headband. SWOON. I want to get married in this dress. Or marry the dress. I haven’t quite decided. I’m too overwhelmed.
Dishonourable mention to Emma Stone. 
It saddens me to do this because I love her and she look amazing in coral/orange last year with that sleek blonde hair, but this year it kind of looks like she’s wearing Liv Tyler’s Screen Actors Guild Awards from 2004. Surely Lanvin don’t need to rip off old Marc Jacobs designs?
Ultimate Fashionista: The Young Hollywood Style Guide – Alana Wulff
Picture: Random House
It’s pretty easy to look up one great outfit that Blair Waldorf wore on Gossip Girl and get stuck in a wormhole of wardrobe ideas from Pretty Little Liars, Glee or even The Hills. The internet is overflowing with blogs and fan pages dedicated to the style of our favourite villains and vixens on the small screen. Whether it’s sweet and preppy Rachel Berry or sultry designer-clad Serena Van der Woodsen, we all have someone to look up to on TV. But if you’re like me and you like something a little more tangible, to read before bed and give you sweet, fashionable dreams, you’ll love Ultimate Fashionista: The Young Hollywood Style Guide from entertainment writer, Alana Wulff.
Having worked at some of our fave magazines like TV Hits (I was a subscriber), Girlfriend and OK!, Alana has seen fashions come and go and some even stick around. Underneath the clothes there are style icons, many of which are pretty young things under 30, and Wulff has worked to incorporate those making their mark on the fashion scene not just in Hollywood but the world over.
Each chapter provides something different: profiles on style icons from Zoe Kravitz to Blake Lively, Dakota Fanning to Emma Stone; there are quizzes and spots to take notes (or stick in your own favourite looks) and interviews with some of Australia’s leading designers and fashion insiders in the area of PR, print and retail. Towards the back you’ll see comprehensive lists of the best online stores, a ‘how-to’ packing guide and ‘must-haves’ for every girl’s wardrobe.
At only $24.99 this book is fantastic. Well-researched, precise, easy to read but not lacking in detail and with a broad range of features to suit everybody’s style. My only criticism is that, having a lot of male style icons myself (including Kanye West, Pharell Williams and Scott Disick) I would have liked to have seen a couple of guys included. I think women have a lot to learn from well dressed men in terms of good quality cuts and fabrics, working well with colour and paring back the accessories for a smart, sleek look. But aside from that, Ultimate Fashionista is a great buy for yourself, a fashionable friend, a not-so fashionable friend who needs a bit of a nudge in the right direction or that budding little style icon who is just starting to choose her own outfits.
Ultimate Fashionista: The Young Hollywood Style Guide Written by Alana Wulff Published by Random House AUD$24.99 224 pages 1 February 2012Outfit of the Day
Another outfit post, lucky you! 
I bought this Akira skirt just before Christmas and I’m totally obsessed by it. Like my thick sister, Beyoncé, I love accentuating my curves (much to my mother’s horror!) and this skirt, with its fitted waist and large, origami-like, overlapping panels most certainly has a pouf factor.
The material is padded like a quilt and I love the print and all the colours in it. Despite how many colours I have to work with, I seem to always want to wear red and pink with this skirt. I actually really enjoy mixing red and pink together in fashion, mainly because it always freaks people out because it’s ‘against the rules’. Pfffftttt! For an example of how pink and red can look amazing together, peep this story by my friend, stylist Lydia-Jane Saunders (third one along).
Beauty note: crisp Summer mani in O.P.I's Alpine Snow
Skirt – Akira
Shirt – Sussan
Shoes – Filippo Raphael
Bag – Dior
Headband – Miu Miu
Outfit of the Day
I wore this on Monday, my first day back to work. I always aim to do outfit posts of my work ensembles but I never have time to take photos in the morning and by the time I’m home – as you’ll see in the following pictures – I’m always exhausted and tired looking. Makeup has worn off, hair is not as neat as it was in the morning and feet are swollen from wearing heels. Imagine what a mess I’d be if I wasn’t sitting at a desk all day!
The worst part is probably that the lighting isn’t great by the time I get home, so on top of all of the above my pictures are terrible worse than usual.
I bought this dress late last year from Seduce. It’s actually their Katherine brand which is a little more high end, more corporate, less party-ish and a bit more conservative than the Seduce or Bluejuice labels. I find it soooo difficult to find things that are cool enough for Summer but don’t show too much skin, are long enough so that for my height they’re not above the knee (this is so difficult. Seriously, designers, make more mid-length stuff!!), have thick enough straps and high enough arm holes so my bra isn’t showing and is still something unique and good quality but versatile enough that I can wear it maybe once a week with different shoes/accessories and it won’t look like I wear the same thing all the time. This dress fits all the criteria except that people think it’s too dressy for work. *sigh*
My friend has put me on a shopping ban for a minimum of six months and I bought these red patent leather shoes right before the deadline. I got them in black as well because they’re so comfy and they were extremely cheap! Leather upper, leather lined and on sale for $117.50 (Edward Meller, Westfield Sydney). The heel looks high because it’s thin, but the shoe is really well-balanced and I can wear them all day without pain (just swelling because of my terrible circulation!).
I get asked often to put up more outfit posts, so I’ll try to do it!
- Thick straps FTW
Outfit of the Day
Yesterday was my uncle’s birthday so our families went to Jamie’s Italian to celebrate. I’d never been before because I’ve heard the lining up time is quite long, but on a Saturday morning for an early lunch we didn’t have to wait at all.
- At the table with my baby cousin
The restaurant is really good. It’s quite big, with an open kitchen at the back which is where we were seated. There is heaps and heaps on the menu and I had a truffle risotto. Other things ordered on our table were veal, buffalo ricotta ravioli, fish (that was presented beautifully with a fried noodle net), burgers that were enormous and prawn linguine.
Sorry I don’t have more pics of the food. It would have been a bit difficult to take photos of 8 meals, sides and desserts!
I’d definitely go back again but I don’t think I’d go after work or on a Saturday night, I can imagine it would get really loud in there as it’s quite an open, industrial-type space.
Here’s what I wore. I love wearing this jumpsuit if I’m going out to eat or drink a lot because there’s so much room in it!
Have you tried Jamie’s Italian yet? Will you?
