Met Gala 2012

So its been a while between blogs, and unfortunately I have no better excuse than simply, having foxtel installed in my bedroom. I think I may also have suffered some form of writers block as a result of the increased foxtel action. In saying that I’m not totally sure if I can even call myself a writer just yet (I’m pretty sure I cant), but anyway, there is no other reasonable way to justify my absence. So anyway, enough with boring waffle, lets talk dresses, as there have been copious amounts of dresses wandering down all sorts of red carpets over the last few weeks.

Today however is all about the Met Gala. This is the Oscars for the fashion peeps and gives designers an opportunity to dress and invite their current muse to accompany them as their guest. So naturally, as a designer you would want to find the optimum celeb/model/it girl/musician and ensure that they look jaw dropping, saliva drooling, knee weakeningly incredible in one of your custom made gowns. (Anja Rubik, you have failed Anthony Vaccarello miserably. Why would you channel Angelina Jolie’s leg? No, really, why?)

This seems fairly obvious and seemed to be a piece of pie for Miuccia Prada (who was being honored at the Gala) who dressed Gwyn, Di Krugs, Carey Mulligan, K Bos, Chloe Sevigny, Eva Mendes and the big kahuna Anna Wintour. K Bos was definitely my fav from this bunch in her dark feather bonanza with super sharp hair and makeup 8/10. I should probably mention Beyonce here as she also embraced feathers in her black/purple Givenchy. To me though, it kinda looked as though someone had spewed beads and feathers all over her and they were still slowly dripping down her incredible post Blue ivy bod, to land in a pile of purple feathers on the ground 4/10. In saying this however, I must point out how much I love B and hate to even sort of diss her, but she’s prob just going through some post baby confusion, and thats ok, she’ll be right.

Zac Posen arrived with Amber Heard and the pair looked like an incredible couple of ribena berries. While I don’t normally like plum or dusty rose or mid pink purples, there is something about Amber that is unstoppable in this dress and I’m thinking its’s the perfect colour combination between her dress, lips, eyes, skin and hair colour. Perfect. 7/10.

Gold was popular (much to my delight) and even though Jessica Alba’s dress looks like it came straight from Joan Collins wardrobe, I still adore it! 8/10. Karolina K proved why she is still one of the biggest bombshells going round, casually arriving in her incredible long sleeved golden Rachel Zoe designed gown. The look was complete with a matching turban that was not that dis similar from the Marc Jacobs dress worn by K Moss a few years back. But despite the similarity, this was still my golden fav, 8/10. Cameron D on the other hand, who normally looks incredible, looked wishy washy and saggy in her gold Stella Mc Cartney 4/10.

Kate Moss with Marc Jacobs at Met Gala 2009

Louis Vuitton should be disappointed with their representation as poor little Dakota fanning looked blah and boring in pastel blue. Despite being incredibly beautiful, she appeared to be made down and looked 12 years old with childish hair and makeup. I wonder if her stylist knows how old she is these days... Cos I'm pretty sure she's past her sweet sixteenth...

Naturally, black was everywhere, with Gisele in Givenchy, Carolyn Murphy in Alexander Wang and Cate Blanchett in Mc Queen all being the standouts. All 3 women, drop dead amazing. 9/10.

Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz was fortunate enough to have the company of Emma Stone for the Gala and dressed her impeccably in a cutesy red embellished Lanvin gown. It was however her hair that really made the look for me, the messy up do with a slight nod to the 60’s was perfect with her dress and the green nails were a perfect unexpected juxtaposition. Admittedly, poor old Elber was looking especially creepy in this pic, however it must be noted that he really is a phenomenal designer for Lanvin and not a homeless guy who got through security and began jumping in photos.

Current Fashion fav Nicholas Ghesquiere from Balenciaga, took Kristen Stewart to the gala and most probably would have had more fun if he’d have taken a bar of soap, given her documented level of enthusiasm for public events. As expected, she pouted, looked sour, uncomfortable and bored and unfortunately did no justice to his structured design. 3/10. I hate to be negative, but seriously, crack a smile, life’s not that bad, you’re at the Met Gala.

Now it wouldn’t be Met Gala without the clothes hanger herself, SJP would it. So this year she was the lucky guest of one of my favs, Valentino. But before you get excited, I want you to think back to a floral table cloth, curtain or maybe even nightie that your mum or grandma had owned, and then imagine it wrapped all around SJP, head to toe, arms and everything. Do you have the mental image? Great, then now you know what she wore. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in this as I do love Valentino (despite his tannorexia) but I do feel he has seen better moments in his designs.

But lets not focus on the misses, lets finish up with a bang and talk Solange Knowles in Rachel Roy. Mellow Yellow structured perfection, on Blue Ivy’s aunt was definitely the winner for me, probably because I’m currently having a massive yellow moment, but still 10/10.

Anyhoo peeps, I could go on all night, but I wouldn't do that to you!

Ive got a big week ahead with Eurovision on this coming weekend, so be good and I will return with my wrap-up of Eurovision 2012. Beyond excited!

xxx

Hair crimes

Thanks to the wonder that is Yahoo7, an alarming issue was once again brought to my attention today. That being the serious and ongoing matter of Katy Perry and her consistent disregard for acceptable hair.

Don't look shocked Ms.Perry, have you heard of a mirror 

Now firstly, you should all know that I am all for crazy hair. Pink, blue, green, spotted, striped, take your pick, I’m not fussed! But I am fussed about and actually partially offended by, is having these colours/looks executed poorly, case in point: K Perry.

Katy Perry. The alleged.

Ms. Perry, Under no circumstances is it ok for you to have Blue hair with blonde/black regrowth which fades into blue via a small stint in yellow town.

 It is not ‘on trend’ and it is not socially acceptable, in my opinion (and need I remind you all, that along with Zoe Foster, I was voted best overall opinion on everything for 3 consecutive years from 2006-09) Ms. Perry, you are a role model to young girls all over the world and I fear you are failing to set a good hair example. The roll on effect of this could be disastrous... 

 

Ok, maybe slightly dramatic, but you get my point.

Anyway, there are very few people who can actually ‘work’ regrowth, and dont panic, I don’t mean balayage, I mean genuine regrowth (see picture below) If I may call up to the podium, Heather Locklear (during the Melrose years, not the mug shot years) Rihanna (at the 2012 Grammys) and SJP (short hair years) 

Now you lovely ladies are the exception to the rule, so give us a spin, take a bow and then you may return to your seats, wonderful regrowth hair in tact. Very nice, Well done, well done.

Heather Locklear.. or Amanda

Riri rocking the roots. If only this wasn't a one off...

SJP. This is how it's done.

Now look I am not one to throw stones in glass houses, however, I believe if you have more than 10 million twitter followers, then you can probably afford a decent colourist. How twitter followers and personal wealth relate, Im not totally clear on, but I’m sure they do somehow. 

Anyhoo, I dont want Kats to feel too bad, we all make mistakes and we all have bad hair days we look back on and cringe over. 

You can't write a blog about bad hair days without sharing one of your own, to be fair

And besides, Kats is most certainly not the only celeb to have been drunk when choosing her hair stylist. Lets have a look at some other bad hair bonanza’s:

You really can't go past Brittas when you think of a celeb bad hair day

Looking good Fergie, nice and subtle

Jenny took inspiration from a lego man with a curling iron

There are no words for this Xtina

I think Mena Suvari used Helena Bonham Carter's stylist here

Enough said

Now while you may not think that these styles are that bad, bear in mind 2 things:

1. These people pay to have their hair look the way it does

and

2. Their hair (in these pics) actually is that bad

So todays lesson is quite simple, use a good colourist, and if you don’ have one, ask one of  your friend's who have great hair (even in only under some lights and when styled a particular way) 

Riri, seriously give Kats your colourist's number.

Until next time kids, happy hairstyling,

xxx

Couponing in America

One thing that has caught my eye of late, has been the extreme sport of American couponing. Yep couponing. A noun turned into a verb. 

From what I can tell, couponing is the obsessive collecting of discount coupons and the overly obsessive (and most likely unnecessary) need to get value for money through buying in bulk and accruing coupons. Whats that you say, you can get 15 packs of paper towel for free for every 30 you buy?? Bargain, Sign me up Joanie! 

Look at these lovely lasses, proud as punch of their couponing hoard! And lets be honest, who doesn't need or want just as much stock as Coles in their house.

                                            

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for saving a dollar where necessary (except for when it comes to traveling to work on public transport, which is 12 blocks away, as pointed out today by my collegues. Here, I’m apparently more than happy to drive the 12 blocks and then pay $13 per day to park. Smart. I’m not just a hat rack my friends) but I do wonder what part of an obvious OCD, urges these poor souls (or self respecting normal people) to unashamedly purchase 9 trolleys worth of stuff whilst handing over hundreds of coupons. Who knows? Amanda knows, thats who!

As Amanda has demonstrated, couponing really is quite simple. All you need to do is collect every coupon (including those you spend hours searching on the internet for) that you come across for about 6 months, spend a brief 6 or 7 hours in the supermarket researching instore promos, go home and collate your information, make a list, keep hydrated, get your  game face on and you are ready to go! What a brilliant use of your time! If only more people knew! 

Generally speaking, couponing appears to be female friendly sport, enticing even the likes of Kourtney kardashian, a lass who definitely needs to scrape and save $ wherever possible. Men appear to be nothing more than trolley pushers or bag carriers for these coupon sporting divas. 

‘So how do I get involved?” I hear you ask. Well simply head on over to krazycouponlady.com and she will be more than happy to break you in. From what I have seen on her website, she offers all sorts of fun couponing information, including an area where you can share your couponing sucess stories, aptly called the ‘Brag Lounge’. (I wonder if this is supposed to be a play on the word bag or just meant to be brag? Who cares! either way, what crazy fun!) 

Anyway, While perusing this section, I found one slick couponers' quick & easy tale on how she got herself totally sorted for Easter:

Nb. if you are reading this on your mobile, I suggest skipping this part, as this couponer explains her bargains, line by line. I have included this full tale not to demonstrate how severely OTT and ridiculous the process is, but to simply share the ease at which these peeps 'Coupon':

The candy will be used for Easter baskets at home and my oldest son’s Easter party in class.

I’m also military. On Tuesdays, all our local Walgreens give 15% off each item and 20% off any Walgreens brand items. The retail price of the item is WITHOUT the discount so it’s easier for you to follow if you don’t get a discount. My Final Price is WITH the discount so you can keep up with my math. 

On to the break down:

2 One A Day Men’s Pro Edge Vitamins, $10.49 each
Buy One Get One Free
Used $1.00/1 One A Day Vitamins, any from Wags Monthly Book (takes off $2.00)
Final Price:  $11.38 for both ($5.69 each)

12 Blue Diamond Almonds, $3.79 each
Buy One Get One Free
Used 12 $1.00/1 Blue Diamond Almonds, 6 ox from SS 1/29
Final Price: $7.32 for all 12 ($0.61 each)
*This is a 2-3 weeks supply in my house! My boys really enjoy the different flavors.*

6 Cadbury Mini Eggs, 8oz $2.00 each
Must buy in increments of 2 for this price
Used $2.00/3 Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s, Miniatures, Eggs Cadbury or Whoppers Bags, 8 oz+ from SS 2/26
And $1.00/2 Hershey’s or Cadbury Easter Chocolate, 8 – 10 oz from Wags Monthly Book (takes off $3.00)
Final Price: $8.30 for all 6 ($1.38 each)

2 Starburst Crazy Beans, 13oz $2.00 each
Must buy in increments of 2 for this price
Used $1.00/2 Starbursts, Life Savers, Jellybeans from RP 3/18
And $1.00/2 Starburst, Skittles, Life Savers or Hubba Bubba Cluckers Easter Item from Wags Monthly Book
Final Price: $1.40 for both ($0.70 each)

2 LifeSavers Jelly Beans, 13oz $2.00 each
Must buy in increments of 2 for this price
Used $1.00/2 Starbursts, Life Savers, Jellybeans from RP 3/18
And $1.00/2 Starburst, Skittles, Life Savers or Hubba Bubba Cluckers Easter Item from Wags Monthly Book
Final Price: $1.40 for both ($0.70 each)

12 Snickers, Snickers Peanut Butter, and Milky Way Caramel Eggs, $0.50 each
Must buy in increments of 2 for this price
Used $1.00/2 Mars Easter Candy (no size restrictions) from RP 3/18
Final Price: FREE

2 Ring Pops, $0.39 each (used as fillers)
With in ad coupon
Final Price: $0.66 ($0.33 each)

Spongebob Squarepants Mini Fishing Game, on clearance $1.19
Regular Price: $4.49
Final Price: $1.01
*So excited for this find! My oldest son LOVES Spongebob!*

Total Retail: $115.69
After Coupons: $31.47

I used a total of $12 in previous RRs. I only count them when I spend them, not when I earn them. 

Total OOP: $19.47! The cost of 5 cans of almonds!

Like I said, earlier, IF ONLY MORE PEOPLE KNEW IT WAS THIS EASY!! Not at all extreme or freakish. Nice. 

But seriously, times are getting tough and I know that we all need to look to new ways to save money and thanks to couponing and 27 year-old wholesome all American housewife, Joanie (the Krazy Coupon Lady herself) we now have a solid method:

Until next time my prettys, dont forget to save those coupons! And if you do forget, dont worry, just hit up the bins at your local tip :)

xxx

The year of London

Ok, so now that i have turned off Geordie Shore, i may actually be able to start writing something with some sort of substance. In saying that, I feel that Geordie Shore is a great intro to what I want to write about today, and that being the super exciting city of London. Please note however, that there are major differences between the people in Geordie shore and the people in London, and the rest of the UK really. See below:

When most people think of London they think of cold dreary weather and big Ben. When i think of London, I think of a second home and an amazingly fun city. I suppose normally the same old cliches spring to mind when considering London or the UK, the royals, the union jack, tower bridge, and bad food. However this is the year that all of these cliches are once again relevant, as in my opinion, there is no better place to be than in London this year, and here are my reasons why:

Firstly, the UK is still on a high from Wills and Kate’s royal wedding of last year. Which i might say was probably my highlight of 2011 also. The only downside about the wedding that i can think of, was that i was unable to get my hands on some more brilliant souvenirs commemorating the great day, like these awesome Kate and Wills tea bags and these super chic nail decals. I'm actually only half joking, these are cool.

Secondly and still on the royal bandwagon (for those of you who don't know, I love the royal family and they will most likely make regular appearances in my blog) 2012 is the queens Diamond Jubilee. So it’s her 60th anniversary of being on the throne, mussel-tuff I say. Anyone who can wander around cities all over the world, accepting flowers, waving and pretending to be interested in boring stuff for 60 years has my vote. I would have lost patience years ago. In saying this however, I do believe her patience threshold may be waning, if the below picture is anything to go by... Or perhaps she’s just seen Camilla again... or maybe she’s watching Geordie Shore. I'd feel the same way if I was looking at Camilla PB or watching Charlotte sook about Gary again.

Either way, I think she’s a winner. Its a shame the same cant be said for Phillip. He's just a continual accident waiting to happen. Here's an example of Phil at his best:


 "You look as if you're ready for the bed."
Philip’s greeting for the Nigerian secretary-general of the Commonwealth, who was dressed up in his ceremonial robes for a state dinner.



Good on him! Every family has to have the awkward uncle who's foot is permanently in his mouth. But anyway back to HRH (letters I aspire to have added to my name one day) What I do like about the Queen is that she's willing to give anything a go, like playing Wii for example... 

Theres not too many over 60's (my parents excluded) who get the old wii out for a game of bowls (except my parents) 
So Happy 60th Liz, get amongst it and keep going with your amazing hats. 

And finally 2012 is to be the year that London will host the 30th Olympic games. If you’ve ever been in a city whilst it plays host to an Olympics (which I haven't) then you will know first hand (which I don't), how the city comes alive with the influx of all the visitors, the extra and extended calendar of events and the general excitement in the air. There is a sense of festivity that hangs over the city (not in a christmas way) and people generally appear happier and more friendly, which bodes well for Londoners especially, who can be a bit cold and grumpy at the best of times.

It is also the time when the city really turns it on for the world to see. They clean up the streets, renovate tourist attractions and add extra public transport in an effort to showcase their city. Kinda like cleaning the house top to bottom before you have people over and getting out the fine china to eat off instead of the cheap ikea plates normally used.
If I remember correctly, while the Beijing Olympics were on, the Chinese actually attempted to control the weather, so to cover up their enormous amount of constant pollution that hung in the air. Ummm, yeah, it didn't work. But points for effort.

Beijing Olympics

London Olympic stadium

So in summary, i wanted to draw attention to the fact that this is the year of London and whilst the majority of us will not be able to attend the year long party, we should all try and drop in sometime soon before the ikea plates come back out and Liz hands the reigns over to Charles...
So stay tuned peeps, as i will be sure to keep you updated with all London/Olympics/Diamond Jubilee news as it comes to hand. Until then...


xxx