GETTING LIPPY

While at the gym recently Beyonces 'Radio' video threw me off my treadmill and into the fascinating world of lipstick. She had not one but three smokin lippy looks that got me thinking...

I'd previously lumped lipstick into the 'for Mums and Grannies' basket and only recently moved it to the 'hot but I couldn't pull it off' basket. Now I was overcome with the need to own the candy shade of pink above - but in matte so it's more street, less hoochy. It looks like standout pouts did feature in the recent runway shows but it was more of a dark and mysterious vamp vibe rather than the bright pinks I was after...

Runway looks: Karl Lagerfeld, Sass and Bide and L.A.M.B by Gwen Stefani

Love these (especially the S&B jacket) but the goth lippy wasn't doing it for me. So to the red carpets and trashy music vids I go - bingo!

Top to bottom: Alexis Bledel; Rihanna, Kate Bosworth; Ke$ha in 'Blah Blah Blah'; Topshop runway; Nylon staff

While I was originally rooting for the bright shades at the top I now also want to get me some of that pastel pink. For now though, I went for MACs 'Pink Nouveau' - so delicious looking I am not sure whether to apply it or eat it. No actually I might be a makeup ammature but I think I have that part sussed.

So I guess this makes me an official lady - YUS, excitement. Less exciting is that I read somewhere that people with fair skin should wear less pigment - BOO! Wear it with confidence and you can pull anything off I say. The main thing is also to team that eye popping pink pout with a more edgy look so you don't end up looking too 'I heart Barbie'. When my money tree starts sprouting/in my imaginary world I will team it with

Left to right, top to bottom: Alexander McQueen 'Cut out ankle' boots, $UK692.47; Alison Mossharts rocking power fringes; Sass and Bide Vie 'No Way Out' dress, $241; Elke Kramer 'Petite Tough Love' bracelet, $256; Sterling silver Deadly Ponies pendants; William Phillips 'Clones Mini' bag, $499; Camilla and Marc 'Nikolai' jacket, $972; Rayban Clubmans  

Dammit why did I do this to myself - now I want ALL of the above. Best I go and distract myself by choosing my next colour from MAC. On my wishlist (and hopefully making its way back from Aussie with Megan in a couple of weeks) - Costa Chic.

Special thanks to Megan for her beauty-guru lesson in lipstick AND her bold purchase of BLACK lipstick (more on that later).

BLACK JACK

Ohhh excitement of the White Stripes variety - Jack the super bogan stud (in a Pete Doherty kind of way) and Meg launched their documentary, 'Under Great White Northern Lights', in September 09 which showcases the goings on of their 2007 Canadian tour. The director, Emmett Malloy's has had previous big up s for work on docos (or rockumenterys) for Oasis, Foo Fighters, N.E.R.D etc.

While it didn't reach New Zealandia the DVD is coming out March 16 - YUS! You can already stream the album online if you can't wait to buy it on Amazon.

The September premiere at the Toronto Film Festival made for some dazzling (and brooding) photo hotties - likewise with stills from the docos trailer. Beautiful...

Meg and Jack at the premiere for 'Under Great Northern Lights' at the Toronto Film Fest.

PEOW PEOW

But wait theres more, much much more (eeeeh I'm so excited about this part). To celebrate the release of the DVD/CD the White Stripes have teamed up with the Lomography.com fellars to create a White Stripes lomo comp! Basically you submit your lomo interpretation of the Northern Lights - with extra (imaginary) points if it incorporates the signature red, white and black of The White Stripes. Eek. Problemo - entries close tomorrow. Solution - get busy with my chromy tonight or submit an existing image.

mmm hmmmm.

P.s The Dead Weather (Jack white, hotty hot girl Alison Mosshart from the Kills etc)are playing in Auckland next week.

p.p.s I'm watching Project Runway and wondering where all the styliness has gone?

PRINCESS DIANA F+

Loving my new Lomo photos that I have just had developed - so wrong and so distorted but that's why I love them. The errors and light splattered film make for a dreamy effect.

These are all taken on my Diana F+ Chromatic - mmmm pretty...

To cut a long story (and my 'I heart Diana' ranting) short these gems are true survivors with the Lomo site describing them as cult legends and dannnngggg I can see why. They are so simple even your granny could use it - sans screen and even buttons it's all knobs, switches and clunky noises. Plus you look like a pro - people can't work it out so they assume you know your shit :) Originally a toy camera that let in a tonne of light they have been revamped, reproduced, re-launched and even cloned! Although they all do the same thing you end up wanting several of the exact same camera in a different clone. Case in point - I want ALL of these

Clockwise from top left: Qing Hua Diana F+ by Dorophy Tang; Mr Pink (made especailly for me! P.s. I made that up); Colette Diana F + (partnership with my FAVness store in Paris 'Colette'); and the Snow Cat

Wow the above contains several blog/drool worthy topics on their own: PINK, Colette, snow fun... watch this space.

Anyway, they even released limited edition White Stripes Dianas - YEOW!

Throw one of the many coloured filters in front of that Queen Mother of a flash bulb and you get some outrageous effects like the dreamy wonders below (sadly these are not my own)...

Surprise - that last one actually is my own.

Black and white images taken on a Diana are stunning as well but given that I have just loaded up a black and white film I will get snapping and report back on that later. Click.

DETOX DAY 2... I DON'T GET IT

OWWWW my head is pounding, my stomach is churning and I have been in a semi-rage all day - and this is supposed to be good for me? I am on day two of my detox and it aint pretty - week one is supposed to ease you into it. I don't get the easy part of suddenly ANIALATING coffee, sugar, bread, cheese and chocolate from my diet. One day it was all there at my finger tips - coffee on tap, Monday baking to look forward to, Friday vino goodness and the occasional microwave cheese sandwich then BAM! All gone. In a flash. I must admit though, the BAM is bit of an exaggeration - it is more of a slow trickle. I did try - on day one I was full of good intention and promise but then Monday baking slipped onto my desk and into my mouth. Oops. I figured it then wouldn't matter if I snuck a few pieces of chocolate in after dinner... so I did. Tuesday was to be a fresh start then someone bought a big bloody birthday cake to work - and that ALSO found it's way onto my desk and into my mouth.... TWICE. I did try and get zen with my cous cous salad but I couldnt work out how to make the cous cous stay on a fork - after much flailing and faffing I gave up on Mr Salad. So as I sat on the verge of detox failure, with my searing headache just the icing on the cake (mmmm cake) I decided I needed a little treat. I had afterall missed out on at least six coffees over the last two days so I've basically made money and should therefore invest it wisely. So with my 'profits' I made the most heavenly investment - my Angels coat from Ruby. Love love...

Oh and while I was there I spotted a few other gems (sadly they didn't come home with me)...

Romeo Blazer and Paris Pant above - reow! Warning - hot hot Rose Jumper below does not fit under new Angels Coat

So with my new coat to protect me, my peppermint tea sitting healthily beside me and day three of detox approaching I am feeling positive. Tomorrows goal is to concour the cous cous ... and maybe wrangle my budget to allow for another quick visit to Ruby?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A MINU?

I don’t really think I should be writing my first blog entry at midnight even if it does make me an outrageously committed blogger! Anyway I’ve set myself a deadline so it’s alright - I have ten minutes to get through a pretty tight agenda so I’d better hustle (wow - youtube ‘hustle’ - so unexpected). This blog is all about my favourite things - people, tunes, fashion, things to look at, places to go - that are collected up, sifted around in my mind and jammed into my M I X T A P E. And why not start with one of my latest favourite things that I actually bought . Believe me, this is pretty rare. Around 90% of my favourite things sit under the ‘if I didn’t eat for two months could I afford this?’ umbrella, with the answer being ‘it appears not‘. Before I kick off I do need to point out that after many an apostrophe lesson with my good friend Loz, my grammar is fairly atrocious but it just adds to the flavour - puts some spice in my mixtape. YUM.

So after a visit to my other friend Jos newly pimped lounge I fell in love with a print of hers which she bagged at a market in Wellington. After a little research (read: looked more closely at the print to see who it was by) I found the artist, Minu. This German Wellingtonians art is just so damn pleasant and I ended up purchasing the teddy print as a gift . Not only is shipping free and the prints reasonably priced but Minu now offers a framing service - here’s one I (and by ‘I’ I mean ‘they’) prepared earlier…

Just a small selection of Minus’ others stunners from minu.felt.co.nz…

After taking a look around on the site I noticed her next event is at the Craft 2.0 market at the New Dowse which I will be checking out for sure...

Now that you mention the New Dowse - they are having a Little Bushman-sunshine-vino-picnic type thing this Sunday 2 8 Feb which looks to be a good Sunday type thing to do. I might name-drop Minu and see if I can get in for free - oh yeah that will work.

Anyway another incredible group of artists that falls under the umbrella I mentioned earlier are the Cut Collective - they are working across a bunch of different projects but the prints alone should blow your mind. I am actually willing to not eat for two months if it means I can have one of these…

I want one for my imaginary newly pimped lounge - I will look and dream at Endemic World.

Arrrrr there’s a moth in my room - gotta go (and hide). Oh and I blew my deadline - must try harder.