I’m new to Gel Nails - got my first set two weeks ago - and am head over heels about them. They’re a fraction more exy than a standard manicure, take a fraction longer to get done but two weeks later they still look fabulous (chip free, glossy and longer). They’re not as hooker-looking as acrylics and more natural on the nails. Definitely recommended.
Okay, so I’m not your typical, die-hard, action thriller lover but … I just finished reading my friend Chris Allen’s book Defender of the Faith and was MAJORLY impressed.
Allen is an expert storyteller who, like English blockbuster novelist Andy McNab, has an impressive military background to fuel his inside knowledge.
His arresting descriptions of corrupt officials and warzone bad guys are intensely gripping and thankfully for me, contrast with a slow-burning love story between a rugged secret agent (Alex Morgan) and a feisty undercover agent (Arena Halls).
All I want to know now Mr Allen, is when’s the bloody sequel???
I like a fresh white wall as much as the next girl but right now I’m obsessed with design murals.
Now the only question is whether to get a vintage Marvel comic book cover or something more modern, like this gorgeous print by Middle Eastern artist Rana Salam?
Actually, then there’s the question of getting the design printed on a mural sticker, a blind or a canvas board?
So many designs, so many options. Can’t stop surfing Surface View’s huge catalogue of designs … their website is amazing.Check. It. Out.
Why are French women so alluring? How do they pull off nonchalance so convincingly?And why is it that the two words ‘She’s French’ are so loaded that they are enough to paint an entire picture of womanhood?
Having just spent the summer in Paris trying to figure this (and other intriguing Parisian oddities) out I discovered the book, What French Women Know: About Love, Sex and other Matters of the Heart by Debra Ollivier, and feel sufficiently enlightened.Written by an American writer who has lived in France for over a decade, married a Frenchman, had two children AND become a French citizen, the book is equal parts experiential and academic. It draws a lively portrait of how French women view love, and sex and contrasts this it to how American women do (and similarly, British and Australian women). It’s smart, insightful and makes you desperately want to go out and buy some kick ass lingerie, crack open the vin rouge, take up smoking again and most importantly - not give a damn.
I never understood why moving house ranked as the third most stressful human experience (behind divorce and bereavement). The third!? Surely, learning to drive and accidentally turning into oncoming traffic is more stressful? Or being told you need not one but FOUR hideously expensive and painful root-canals the week you start a new job.?
Stress rankings aside, I just moved house (or rather, apartment) and in the process I read up on the ancient art of Feng Shui. It’s all about energy flow, power-positions and de-cluttering and I found it SO fabulously zen I’ve decided to paraphrase some of the tips.
For the Bedroom:1. Your bed should be placed in the power position with a solid wall behind you (not a window) and a view of the door - but not directly opposite.
2. Balance the bed with two equally sized side tables and lamps. Even if you’re single (and especially, if you want a partner!) having balanced sides of the bed invites, well, balance.
3. Avoid negative stimulants like electronics, sharp corners, clutter and mirrors directly opposite the bed (unless of course, that’s your thang).
For the Office:1. Again, put your desk in the power position; (solid wall behind you, with a view of the door and a view out the window). And make sure, proportion-wise, there is room around the desk. You don’t want to be cramped. A curved edge desk is best.
2. Get a plant to cleanse the air, and counter the electronic radiation. Philadeldrum, Spider Plant, Golden Portus, Bamboo Palm, English Ivy, Peace Lilly and Corn Plants are all recommended indoor office plants.
3. Get a comfortable chair with a high back for support and a big screen computer to improve productivity.
For the Bathroom1. Keep the toilet seat and cover down.
2. Plug any baths or showers when you can.
3. Keep clutter in draws / hidden.
For the Living Room1. One, more time: place the biggest sofa in the power position (wall behind, facing the entrance but not directly opposite it).
2. It helps to use muted colours, tactile fabrics and soft furniture and create a good ying yang balance by balancing light and dark, curvy and straight, geometric and floral, hard and soft.
3. Have a drinks trolley in the middle of the room so you can mix a martini without having to leave the couch! (okay, that was one of my living room tips, not Feng Shui recommended).To read more about Feng Shui, check out this chirpy American woman’s website www.space-lift.com
Is the film as good as the book? Hell no, but One Day staring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess is still a cracking love story well worth the watch. I loved David Nichols’ book and like everyone else who did, I think the film’s casting is WAY off. That said, Hathaway is a fabulous actress and delivers her dry, witty lines with panache and while Sturgess often misses the mark, he got better as the film went on.
Maybe I’m biased, having fallen in love in Edinburgh myself, but the film’s settings (Edinburgh, London and Paris) are perfect backdrops for this snapshot love saga.
I’m not saying the movie’s perfect, but the story is true to the book (mostly) and its honest, heartbreaking twists and turns do have impact.
Four stars.
I just finished reading the fabulous Social Climber’s Handbook: A Novel by New York’s Molly Jong-Fast and it was SO great I had to share.
Seen through the eyes of Daisy Greenbaum, an Upper East Side mother, socialite and Wall Street banker’s wife, the book is set in the summer of 2008 - just before the banks collapsed. It is a time when Daisy, already struggling to keep up with Manhattan’s social elite, does just about anything - including murder - to save her family from collapse.
Dubbed Gossip Girl meets American Psycho, it’s smart, fast and fiercely funny.
Five stars.
Wandering along the Seine, thinking what a bloody knockout Paris is, I crossed Pont des Arts and came across these … thousands of locks clamped to the bridge emblazoned with dedications to love and Paris and on occasion, Michael Jackson. Apparently, the city council consider the love tokens an eye sore and plan to have them removed. But you’ll be happy to know, the conservative council aren’t heartless, and say they won’t remove the locks until they come up with an ‘alternative solution’. Awww, this really is the city of romance.
Moshi Moshi! Don’t you just love these pop’y mobile handsets? They connect into your iPhone, Blackberry or laptop, come in a range of hip colours, have a luxurious soft texture and they cut out 99% of phone radiation! I love a good natter as much as the next girl but the headaches and earaches … not so much. HellooOOoo Moshi Moshi!
Aha! Individually wrapped biscuits! The REAL reason French women don’t get fat.
Imagine how hard it would be to absently inhale half a packet of Tim Tams if there were individually wrapped. Hey? Hey?
Have you ever seen roses this beautiful for just five euros? Paris, je t’aime xx
I just saw Woody Allen’s new film Midnight in Paris and have to shout about it! It’s a romantic comedy about people who wish they’d lived in another time / place and I found it laugh-out-loud funny, beautiful and moving.
It stars Owen Wilson as a conflicted writer, Rachel McAdams as blonde ambition and has fantastic cameos from Martin Sheen, Carla Bruni (aka Mrs Sarkozy) Aidrian Brody (as Salvador Dali), Marian Cottilard (as the original artist groupie), Kathy Bates (as Gertrude Stein) and a bunch of others as Ernest Hemmingway, Scott and Zelda Fitgerald, Man Ray, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gaugin, Degas and more.
Yes I love Paris and romance and Hemingway AND 1920s fashion / styling … but still … I.Love.This.Movie.
P.s. I found a link featuring all the Parisian spots in the film, if you wan to track them down.. http://www.v2asp.paris.fr/commun/v2asp/v2/MIDNIGHTinPARIS_internet.pdf
Today I made a pilgrimage to Paris’ famous Shakespeare And Company to soak up the low-fi, folksy vibe and bag some new books. Ah, heaven.
