So you lack the talent? Money can buy you their beauty tricks at least

Unless you have chosen a unique lifestyle of being without a cell phone, laptop or avoiding the media in other forms, your perception of beauty will often be tainted by what you are constantly bombarded with. I don't care what generation you are from, you will be affected by this- my eighty five year old grandma ticks Lancome and Dior as some of her essentials for god sakes. One avenue beauty is translated and expressed through is our beautiful rock stars. To be a rock star is certainly not to be mediocre. Even the cutest American idol winners go through a thorough overhaul in attempt to be elevated to such status. But some stars are lucky enough to have either the right stylists or be blessed with natural stylish gorgeousness even before they hit stardom. I guess this is part of the "star quality" that can also be witnessed in real life as well as in their latest video.
While writing this blog has been about anything but my background in make-up, I thought I'd finally take this opportunity to utilize my skills and pick out the best products that I've used and witnessed other professionals have in their kits for that rock star glow.


Bat For Lashes
Not only because of her part British, part Pakistani looks, it was also hard to go past Khan for her clever artist beauty punned name. As most musicians like to emulate their music through their image, Natasha's beauty and style speaks entirely of an artistic individual who gets her inspiration from her arts background and nature. To get her signature dark rimmed eyes, use Mac Fluidline pot in Black Track. They come in intense colours, Bat for Lashes has been known to sport in her crazy eye shadows. They can be applied precise or smudged and blended for high impact.

Kate Nash
With so many talented British female singer/song writers coming out recently, Kate Nash has become one of my favorites of the bevy of beauties going beyond your typical Kate Moss U.K beauty mascot. Her music is cheeky, feminine and unapologetic as the next fifties dress she is papped in. In addition to her refreshing personality, her English rose aesthetic is elegant and requires a bit more effort. So I thought Shu Uemera Natural False Eyelashes 01 is the perfect definer for those who want definition in the evening without the overused "smokey eye" look. Yes I know, natural and false in the same sentence is laughable, but don't be discouraged, when worn correctly, falsies can be more subtle then packing on the black eye shadow that made you look like you got into a fist fight.






























The Kooks
Everyone loves a British indie rock band. The Kooks are not so new to the scene but topping the U.K charts is a recent thing. Minus the Oasis bratty reputation, The Kooks have joined the ranks of bands, legions of hipster dudes are fashioning themselves after. Not that this is a bad thing! To get their self styled hair, I can confidently recommend Bumble and Bumble's surf spray as a hit with the "just got outta bed with a band member" look. The spray makes your hair that second day fabulousness or to be more specific, your hair after the beach feel. Great for when you want that dirty, bed hair look without the unsavory aromas.













Erykah Badu
She has always been a one of a kind musician pushing boundaries with mixing elements of hip hop, rock n roll, reggae, electronica and her soulful voice. Inspiring females all around the world with her thoughtful lyrics, her beauty only adds to the heartfelt ambiance one experiences watching her live. I was always enamored by her glowing complexion and was surprised to see it illuminate in real life exactly how I saw her on TV. Over the years, one of the tricks I've learned as a make-up artist that I use on myself is the art of creating a perfect glow. Stilla's All Over Liquid Luminiser should be dabbed on the highlight areas of the face such as the top of cheek bones, under brows, nose and chin and on parts of the body that are exposed to complete the look.
































Lykke Li
Quirkiness and beauty haven't always gone hand in hand. Swedish artist Timotej Zachrisson known as Lykke Li, is the singer who describes her music as "soul, electro and powdered-sugar pop". Love it. Yes she has that natural Scandinavian angelic beauty, but what puts the cherry on top is this model looking singer uses a mega phone as her mic occasionally. Because we don't all have perfect complexions, a secret to perfection is Prescriptives Magic. A liquid powder that lessons the appearance of pores, lines and other imperfections redeeming your once tired looking skin and creating the appearance of smooth skin. Which we will all lykke !
























Photos:
Bat For Lashes
1.http://www.batforlashes.com/images/
2.http://www.claraivy.com/2008/04/natasha-khan.html
3.http://www.bumpershine.com/2007/07/27/bat-for-lashes-covers-springsteen-live-on-fair-game.html
Kate Nash
1.http://forgottenjournal.com/index.php/2008/03/11/kate-nash-talks-of-heart-op/
2.http://www.virginmedia.com/images/katenash-gal-qawards.jpg
Erykah Badu
1.http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Erykah-Badu-Posters_i1222165_.htm
2.http://news.greenvilleonline.com/blogs/link/2008/02/
The Kooks
1.http://www.clashmusic.com/news/kooks-%2526quot%3Bkonk%2526quot%3B-out
2.http://www.irishblogs.ie/search/oxegen/
Lykke Li
1.http://www.lostateminor.com/2008/01/23/lykke-li/
2.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Lykke_Li.jpg

Love Bomb

Being a fan of Lover the Label is a bit like being an obsessed fan of a band. You agonizingly wait for their latest releases, while still indulging in their greatest hits that grow on you like all time classics. Like hearing an old favorite on the radio, seeing a piece from an older collection is akin to reliving good times and making you fall in love with it all over again. Susien Chong and Nic Briand are the ultra cool duo designers that launched Lover the Label, not so long ago in 2001. From their humble beginnings to a stall in the outdoor Bondi Markets (similar to NYC's Summer street fairs) in Australia, where legend has it that within three months, the popularity of the stall increased so dramatically, boutiques began requesting stock. It's no wonder the label is a cult hit among fashionistas and celebrities today. Their inspiration is consistently derived from art, film, music and popular culture. The clothes can be described as the innocence of romance, the beauty of femininity with old school rock n roll as their main muse.
Staying true to their original Aussie fan base, their latest collection "Love Bomb", consists of a Southern Hemisphere Spring Summer 2008/09 release and for our neck of the woods, a Northern Hemisphere Fall Winter 2008 edition. Below are my personal faves from Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere collections respectively.















































Photos from http://www.loverthelabel.com/ and http://www.refinery29.com/

Fashion Inspiration- Beat Street (1984)

An iconic hip hop film set in New York City that helped the hip hop culture penetrate the mainstream. My husband wants to be the kid in the red bowler hat and I want the leopard print stockings- check it!

They're back!

With the onslaught of eighties and nineties fashion making a massive come back, New Kids on the Block coming back together after twenty years, has never been more timely. Don't get me wrong, I think I was a very brief fan of the New Kids when they came out with "Step by Step" and "Please Don't Go Girl". Their timeliness could be due to the bowler hats that are all the rage, not to mention the vests and stone washed denim creeping their way into full confidence on kids who could have been no more than five, when Johnny Depp was melting my heart in the show "21 Jump Street". Anyone who was sporting it in the eighties and nineties can most likely admit how awkward it is that these fashion relics are seeing the light of day again. Watching the New Kids on the Today show (in New York) performing a medley of their old songs, including "The Right Stuff" in a somewhat reggaeton version, years ago, would have me reacting in a sad "oh no they are so old, what the hell" kinda way, but watching them now, not only made me give them silent props for having the balls to go back on stage, but also made me realize- what a fantastic marketing strategy!! Of course they can be oh so hot right now, people are wearing fluro colors, leggings and leg warmers for god sakes!! Welcome back New Kids (ahem men) on the Block! I say bring back Tiffany and Debbie Gibson too. My husband said " What next? MC Hammer?" I don't think we're quite ready for him yet. But never say never.



Tiffany at a gay pride fest. Bless!



Debbie Gibson giving it her best shot



Photo from ew.com and videos from Youtube.

Happiness

Is your happiness in landing your dream job with the dream pay? Or is it finally owning that Chanel lambskin purse? What about meeting the man/woman of your dreams? Or let me guess, during the 90's when hip hop was in it's champagne era, more intellect and minus the bling? What about losing the last ten kilos/pounds you want to lose? You just know it will be healthier for you and also boost your confidence, then ultimately make you happier with your life, right? Everyone has a specific thing they are either consciously, unconsciously or even denying, that in their mind- it would actually make them feel like "they've made it" or simply more "complete". What I have been questioning a lot lately is life and our endless mission for happiness. Is life about "chasing the dragon's tail"? The phrase referred to a heroin addicts life. From the very first try of the drug, the high so unbelievably pleasurable and escapist from anything and everything (apparently), that the entire addiction (which most addicts never truly escape from) is the mission of getting that first amazing high. Only the drug doesn't work like that. The first high can never be replicated thus the life of a deteriorating addict, who is tricked by this drug and convinced that they might have a chance at getting that high again. So "chasing the dragon's tail" is a metaphor for chasing something that really isn't there. Could it be that we get addicted to the superficialities of life and expect some kind of miraculous happiness that could only be obtained once we got what we think will make us happy?

Woah, Ange! Getting a little too serious there! Well you can blame it on my discovery of a book that was recommended to me by a friend who knows I can get a little philosophical on life sometimes. The fantastic book I'm reading now is "A new earth. Awakening to your life's purpose." By Ekhart Tolle. The one and only Oprah loved this book so much she did a ten week live web series with Ekhart Tolle in a class format (for free, just as long as you have internet access) where anyone from all over the world viewing the show live at the time on the Internet, could go live on Skype and ask a question to Ekhart and Oprah about the book and it's concepts. Besides having a cool name, the author Ekhart, is also very cool as he refuses to be anybody's guru. In a nut shell, the book delves into awakening to a consciousness that is within ourselves that is the secret to happiness. It's a pretty profound book so far (I'm up to chapter four) and can only be really understood by people if they are truly ready for it. In one of the web shows Oprah mentions a viewer saying something along the lines of "I don't feel the need to be awakened, what can this book teach me?" Oprah's answer was "Go read another book." It's funny, but so true. It's just one of those things that you either get or don't.

I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested in self development. You don't necessarily have to be religious, but having a curiosity about spirituality and deeper issues such as your own happiness could be prerequisites to liking or even understanding this book. If you feel a little stuck in your life, always wanted to know what it would be like to stop complaining about life and just accept it- this book is for you. You can also download all ten sessions for free on Itunes, just look up Oprah and Ekhart Tolle. In my opinion, I think we are all students of life and it's important we never forget that, but it's also the beauty of it.

No hippy chick

The sun is shining so beautifully today! Among locals, Brooklyn is the Mecca of hipsterville, as a close second to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Don't ask me what a hipster is. I'm only just vaguely getting it and was introduced to the concept when I moved here almost a year ago (has it been that long?). I know for sure it's a label that is used to describe the alterna young people who instead of using their parents contacts to become investment bankers, have decided to move from the mid west of America and set up a stand selling handmade organic products while trying to become an "artist". But more importantly, who would have known how much negative press a group of people could get for doing nothing too scandalous besides owning a whole wardrobe of American Apparel. You could call it a subculture, but it seems to go beyond that.

Anyway, since I will be attending many outdoor events this Summer, I wanted to convey what I will be influenced by and not feel too much like a douche (another word I learned here) among the trendy Brooklyn hipsters. For me, I feel this Summer will be all about the polished but deconstructed hippy. I thought I'd use my beloved "Private Icon" (ala Nylon magazine) gorgeous stoner Michelle Burroughs in "Dazed and Confused"(1993) played by Milla Jovovich as inspiration. Although her part was tiny, when I first saw this movie I was enchanted by her long hair, huge flares and guitar playing. I also took this opportunity to pop the cherry on the exciting web site for all fashion nerds- Polyvore.
















Photos from "Dazed and Confused" movie, fashiontoast.com, Frankie magazine, Jalouse magazine and Polyvore

Realize your dream

I found this on the Frankie magazine Myspace page. I'm sorry to say I think this is for Aussies only. But check it out, I might be wrong!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008


Realise Your Dream scheme - win a trip to the UK and a mentor!
Current mood: contemplative
Category: Art and Photography

We thought this was pretty cool and worth passing on...

Ever dreamed of moving to the UK to pursue your creative dreams? Talented types have the chance to do exactly that with The British Council Australia’s Realise Your Dream scheme.

Open to those between 18-30 years of age, the scheme offers six lucky winners a mentorship in the UK plus $8000 towards courses, accommodation and expenses plus return airfares.

Entries close June 30 and this year, you can represent yourself however you want – in a showreel, a blog, Flickr account and so on. Check out www.realiseyourdream.org.au for more info – and good luck!


Since I am realizing my dream here in New York, I thought there would be some readers out there who would be interested in this!

Fat Baby

As a young childless married person living in the ever eventful and constantly buzzing New York City, it's not hard to see how a single person could live it up in this town that is known to chew people up and spit them out- if you let it. By any definition, I'm no where near being in "single" minded mode, as I have been in a relationship for almost seven years. But living in a city like this, even as a couple, it's very easy to get swept up in the partying and the live for the moment and only for myself attitude.

During the beginning of this year, I have constantly bragged about how I feel I have a foot in both worlds because of the boom of Internet forums like Facebook and Myspace. My two worlds being, Sydney- where most of my friends and all of my family are and New York- where I now live and have met and hanged with some really cool people. It's been easy to view the latest photos of my friend's art exhibition I missed out on in Manhattan to a friend's party in Sydney. Without physically being there, you get a visual summary on what you did miss out on. Any extra goss can be simply derived through a gossipy email to one of the people on your "friends list" who would have attended. These forums can also be proof that you really did have something else on, as here are the photos to prove it!

What these two worlds have introduced me to are two more intriguing worlds, that not for the sweet invention of Facebook, could I have had the pleasure of getting a closer glimpse of. It's the marrieds and the singles worlds. In over two hundred friends, mainly from Sydney, a huge majority are not married and also childless. The general age bracket of my friends are from twenty three to thirty six. When I was a teenager and witnessing other people in this age bracket, many of them were married, had children and very settled down. What's going on with everyone, why are we all acting like teenagers and why are even some of my married friends still childless and spending more time listing who's hot on Facebook? My layman's answer is the world is changing- and fast. The impact of societal changes such as house prices soaring and becoming almost impossible to own, more and more options beyond the nurse, teacher, bricklayer or accountant type roles, young women wanting a longer blossoming twenties that goes way pass thirty five and let's not forget to include more and more people migrating to other countries not just to get away from a war or give their family a better life, but just to take advantage of a working visa or boost their careers. Personally I'm quite happy with all this, but I was wondering if my ovaries felt the same.

It does seem it's all for the better as people are getting smarter, choosing marriage or children only if feeling completely qualified, the world is less populated and sexual freedom is exceedingly less judged and peaking. So why is it that I enjoyed my three weekends at home with my husband and my dog watching Harry Potter a little more than this past weekend's debauchery at a club called Fat Baby, no less? Don't get me wrong, Fat Baby was a fun place. Where do you go to hear Bell Biv Devoe and Nirvana in one night- hilarious, but somehow worked really well for me. The packed crowd was diverse and entertaining and the bartenders are notorious for giving away free drinks, which our little group had the delight of experiencing. If you do have a fat baby, chances are you weren't at this one.

Which brings me to the conclusion of maybe I'm not enjoying all this like I used to. The traveling, the partying, the random adventures- not so shiny and new anymore. For a while there, these Internet forums tended to glamorize it all and feed my need for more.  But today, still feeling a little stiff two days later after reciting every word to Wrex n Effect's "Rump Shaker", maybe that really was the "last call".  I guess I'll find out tonight after some Cinco De Mayo celebratory drinks.  Sheesh, here we go again.






Photos from http://www.myspace.com/fatbabynyc

Light at the end of the tunnel....

Through a series of events through no fault of mine own, I have been limited to devoting the regular amount of blog writing time I usually set aside. As a template, when obstacles arise for me, I usually veer completely off track, become disorientated and then discouraged. Today, I've made a decision to not use my default method, and try something new- like getting back on that writing horse that I enjoy so much!

In our lives, we are always presented with various sized obstacles that have a variety of effects on how we perceive our journey. My "love to bitch about people" are those who come across obstacles, complain and dwell on the situation and do nothing as if abstract victims of what happened. Then, while basking in the misery that is their life, they more importantly forget all the great things that happened and should be driven by and thankful for. Why I am I annoyed by people who are like this, I ask myself? Is it because I am often one of these people? It's embarrassing, but I'll get over it and the obvious answer is yes. I am that person that enjoys dwelling on forces out of my control and labeling them as the instigators and perpetrators of my demise. Today, I want to take charge and say "not on my clock you don't". What's worse than complaining about obstacles is actually dwelling so much that one feels frozen. Spring is back and I'm once again thawing out my insecurities to let myself get out there and actually stop thinking and start up the doing.

At the risk of sounding extra corny, there are two additional people who have motivated me through this writers block beyond my husband (but more indirectly, as I don't know them personally- ha!) and that is the very inspiring Rumi from Fashion Toast http://www.fashiontoast.com/ and Bobby Chui, an illustrator/painter/teacher/motivational speaker who waxes lyrical on art and life on youtube http://www.imaginismstudios.com/

There are so many reasons why I'm an enormous Rumi fan. Not only is she gorgeous, but her writing is funny, intelligent and genuine. Now under huge blog writers scrutiny, often suffering harsh criticism, she maintains an extraordinarily cool indifference to her critics and consistently posts and often takes on constructive criticism. Not only does she maintain an amazing blog, but she scored a job through this blog reflecting her talent (correct me if I'm wrong) and runs her own Ebay vintage store boutique. She inspires me almost every day not only with all her talent, but also with the stuff I'm not so warmed to as it is an indication of her being human and from mistakes there are always better things to come. All that is left to say is thank you and don't stop doing what you do.







The last person who really pushed me out of the depths of the writers block is Bobby Chui. I listened to him on youtube clips of him drawing while you can simultaneously listen to him talk about life. I don't know too much about him, but I think to accurately understand how good of a motivational speaker he is (without obviously marketing himself as one, more rather as an artistic mentor), you just need to look him up on youtube and listen for yourself. He talks of obstacles and ways of perceiving yourself while trying to accomplish goals. You should really check it out if you feel like you've hit some kind of wall to better yourself at something, which I would say is pretty much everyone whether we admit it or not. And I'm no art pro, but I provided some of his ingenious works below and the chihuahua above is also his.






I really hope the content of this post inspires someone out there like it has for me today.

The Story of Stuff

http://www.storyofstuff.com/
















http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Um, it's called life

During my long absence from my beloved blog, I have been feeling guilty, uninspired and also let's not forget- down in the dumps. So I thought I'd go against my rule of only posting "happy happy joy joy " postings and wax lyrical on what exactly has been making me grow up a little lately (Oh, Ren!).

When they say that New York City can eat you alive, I kinda have a better stance on understanding this and would really like to find out who thought of this break through but menacing cliche that threatens all wannabe New Yorkians. Three weeks ago one of my best friends was mugged in Brooklyn in the neighborhood I live in. The beating left him with several head fractures, a freaked out set of parents flying the red eye from Cali and a now foggy disposition of who his friends and family were and wondering what the hell happened that rendered him secured in an ICU unable to execute the most simplest tasks such as taking headache medicine.

My once "oh I love New York and never wanna leave" colored glasses started to see it's first ugly crack. (excuse the pun). My immediate reaction- we gotta get the f outta here! (Well at least the neighborhood I live in). Ok, so I realize this is not Brooklyn's fault, and that walking down a street in Redfern, Australia at 3 in the morning on your own could probably put you in serious- where the hell is the nearest Seven Eleven so I can hang there till the creepy dudes go away dilemma also. But when it actually happens to someone your close with, this is when urban legend becomes more than, "my friends friend was mugged so be careful" scenario and wakes you up to the world where the happy go lucky Ren and Stimpy's are co-existing with the Boyz in the Hood.

I know most New York locals will not be surprised by my friends mugging and will most likely have several stories of their own or minimum, their friends that share the same chilling urban tale of an innocent walking into the wrong moment. We all like to think that it would never happen to us, but when it does, the impact that the event creates on those close to that person is reason enough for everyone to be more than aware and never too complacent.

The reason for my rant is not to throw any "New York is evil" scare tactics. What it has taught me is that friends are way more precious than we give them credit for and life is to be treasured and appreciated more than we anticipate. New York City is a place full of beauty, extremes and unique, unmistakable charm. The truth is, in a city that has too much to offer, there will always be a person that wants it more than you no matter what the price.

The positives I can salvage from my friend's attack is that the event itself will highlight the importance of never taking the simple things in life for granted and that the love of family and friends is so much more invaluable than we realize. So some growing up was done in the last month and some street wise lessons learned. I can't wait for my moment where I cheers my friend with a beer to New York City, for all it's flaws as well as it's beauty, that inspire people for lifetimes before and after us.

Check out my friends get well blog
http://adamgetwellsoon.blogspot.com/

The Vintage Society

This is the era of It Girl bombardment. The It Girl is the chick who epitomizes that times current pop culture consciousness. And we are definitely not talking of the Britneys and Paris'. In fact, we are talking about their polar opposites. We are referring to the Edie Sedgewicks, Zoe Kravitzs, Agyness Deyns, Corey Kennedys, Lou Doillons, Kate Moss' (you get my drift) and that chick I saw at Union Square the other day who does the tres cool Doc Marten ads. (She is so tall in real life). I'm not sure what it takes to be an It Girl, but when you see her you know. I have found my It Girl of blogs- The Vintage Society.

With charming photography, inspiring fashion for the person who wants beyond trendy or sexy without being too eccentric, this fashion blog has turned into a quick favorite and one that will be hit just as often as Fashion Toast, Sartorialist etc. I'm not alone in my fondness as the brand Quicksilver granted Beth- the author of The Vintage Society, a mentorship and sponsorship! And to top it off, Society recently featured the very hot Jalouse magazine. A french magazine up in the rankings of Lula, Nylon and Teen Vogue. So spot on with this choice, I'm quickly brainwashed into running out on the street and buying my first copy.

Anyway, let's not get sidetracked and get on with our worship of http://www.thevintagesociety.blogspot.com/
As a rule, I never mention other blogs, but this blog was just too juicy not to share.

Terry Richardson

America and censorship is like a Vodka Sprite. The sweet taste of the Sprite masks the in your face excessiveness of a powerful, drunk inducing Vodka. America likes to get you drunk on their ways till you forget that you actually use to swear like a pirate among friends way more than noticing the f word being bleeped from your favorite block buster. Without the Sprite, it's a whole different ball game. As foreigners, we are not use to so much Sprite.

I have a friend staying over from Australia who told me she was delighted to find the old mid nineties alien exploitation movie Species on TV while trying to unwind from tourist adventures. She remembers how her high school male classmates were so excited about the topless part in Species and was looking forward to being sentimental of those days while finally seeing the much talked about scene, until she realized, they deleted it out!

In Terry Richardson's work, no boobies will be deleted out. In fact, the more boobies, the better. I'd like to follow with, since my abrupt noticing of censorship that seems to slyly creep into American media, that I find Richardson's work "refreshing" or "provocative", but they are just words not nearly awkward or cool enough to use in this case.

Born in New York City, raised in Hollywood, Terry Richardson started taking photos in high school. His work, so highly acclaimed, includes Gucci, Costume National, Mui Mui among other high end fashion campaigns, is also in British and French Vogue etc. Having impressed the fashion set, actors, musicians and celebrity It girls alike (not to mention scoring the NYC It girl- Jen Brill, as his girfriend) are ready to take off clothes, drink cows milk at any given moment to be photographed with a shoot and point camera by Richardson.

So let's face it, Sprite eventually goes flat and runs out way faster than Vodka. But I feel Richardson's work has left the Sprite out and downed more than one bottle of Vodka. Give me real America and the real excess any day of the week. That's what I came here for. Any less than this, and I feel cheated.