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Carousel: Week Ending 30th July 2010

30 Jul 2010

Love it!

Just a little one this week — I was too busy whipping Love & Sequins #10 into submission to do much browsing!

Sunday Life: The fun of analysing dreams. Nice tie-in to Inception, hmm? (Did you see it? You should.)

Oh my god, these shoes — & this girl’s talent — are off the charts.

The Independent Fashion Bloggers’ Fair Compensation Manifesto. Amen sister!

If you’re not in New York, it’s almost cruel to tell you, but the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck has amazing goodies.

16 First Steps to Creating the Life You Want From Some of the World’s Best Bloggers. This is a great piece, & not the same old pieces of advice you’d expect!

Danielle asks, How much money do you want to make this year? It’s an important question! When she asked me, during our phonecall, I was all flustered & unsure. You have to get on top of it!

Things to do this weekend: meditate to Om Namah Shvaya!

Harmony: for doodlers!

How to Throw a Hipster Wedding in 5 Easy Steps. Um… Wait, do these people know that the term “hipster” is an insult?!

Oh my god, this is fabulous. Susie Bubble writes about the Townhouse Escape in London. Can we all go?!

5 Common Happiness Mistakes — “Boosters” That Actually Do More Harm Than Good. Yep, I’d agree with those!

How to tie a scarf from Wikifashion.

I like this behind the scenes video of a shoot for the Motorola Flipout. I mostly like watching stylists do their thing, it is so exciting to me!

Beauty in Everything is rather fab.

I love this article: 5 Stupid, Unfair & Sexist Things Expected of Men.

Not that I have any problem with the idea that women’s sexual pleasure ought to matter to men who have sex with them. The problem lies with the notion that women’s sexual pleasure is entirely men’s responsibility; that pleasing women ought to be completely instinctive; that women’s satisfaction is a victory to be achieved instead of an experience to be shared…

Fashion Face.tv is superb!

RID fashion street snap is always good sartorial inspiration.

Help, I’m bored!

Are we ready? (LOVE this.)

The Lula scrapbook is very sweet.

Now I’m going to continue dreaming about renting out a huge office space… Mmmm… Have an incredible weekend!

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Things I Love Thursday

29 Jul 2010

Photo of Jeff Koons sculpture by Marc Wathieu.

Vanilla explosion! I went into Lush Cosmetics on Tuesday afternoon to see what was new in their world. I usually stick to my old favourites when I go in there (Rock Star, Alkmaar, Honey I Washed The Kids) but couldn’t help sampling some of their new products & fell head-over-heels in love with their new vanilla products! Vanilla Dee-Lite has coconut water & oil in it (& yes, you can smell it, hello, summer!) & Vanillary perfume is vanilla absolute with tonka absolute, OH MY GOSH. I have been coating myself with the lotion after showering & then spraying on a bit of the perfume before I walk out the door & oh I smell good! Stick your nose in a Lush shop today & have a big whiff!

Australia’s Next Top Model! I am an unabashed fan of the Top Model franchise, though I haven’t watched any of the American series since season 9 (where Saleisha won & Heather, who I ADORED, did not). Anyway, that is neither here nor there. The Australian franchise is great. (I still love Paloma, don’t you?) It just started so download it & enjoy! I love Charlotte & Alex for being so upfront about their Botox obsession, too. “If I could raise my eyebrow, I would.” PERFECT! (Also, did you hear about Cassi calling the French “snail slurpers” & “frog eaters” on Facebook? Oh, girl! Come on!)

Watching The IT Crowd with The Dish & laughing & laughing & laughing. Such a good show, especially for anyone who has ever worked on a helpdesk, at an ISP, or knows anything to do with computers. You should definitely watch it!

Going for long walks with The Dish & talking the whole way. It’s one of my favourite things to do with him.

...Yeah! It has been a quiet week (busy finishing off Love & Sequins #10!) so there hasn’t been a lot of action, but the next few weeks will more than make up for it!

Photo of Jeff Koons sculpture by The Girls NY.

Les petites: Feeling floaty after a long work-out; Klondike bars (only tried them for the first time last weekend — I am a fan); balloon installations; Ice Cube at 9am; moving the Coilhouse magazines to the front of the stacks when I visit Barnes & Noble (hey, a girl’s gotta help her friends as much as she can — not that they need my help, have you SEEN Coilhouse?!); the fact that my dog is a beanbag; obsessing over Iceland; eyeballs in the park; further refining my style direction for F/W10 (watch this space); leopard print sports bras (oui! I work out in these); having an “animal print moment”; Jeff Koons (clearly); “Me Tarzan, you knickers off”; watching Inception (which I enjoyed very much) while drinking a huge bucket of Coke (ewww but yaaaaay); Shae who is very brilliant & inspiring & who I’m so looking forward to seeing on Saturday!; Chloe’s first video project (ahhhhhhhhhhhh cute); excitement about California (I am having to cut my trip short by a few days BUT it’s for a good reason, more details to come!); planning adventures with Jazzi Nubby Chloe Amy Lydia et al; finally eating when you’re starving; the Twitter water buddy system (it’s simple — every now & then, you just tweet reminding your followers to drink water! I remind you, you remind me, it all works out!); laughing while I work out; Lebanese food; the relief of having completed L&S10!; all the lovely responses to my knicker photos the other day (thank you so much!); cuddling with Dishy. I love him. You know that, right?

Heaven is whenever…
(The Hold Steady)

What are you crushing on this week? A cute girl, your new blazer, a core-shaking idea? Please share it with us!

filed under: things i love thursday

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Love & Sequins #10!

28 Jul 2010

“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.”
(George Eliot)

Love & Sequins #10: INTERNATIONAL PLAYGIRLS UNLIMITED — Taking to the skies, travelling in style, romance on foreign shores & more! has just been smacked on the booty & released into the world! Hallelujah!

It’s all about one of my absolute favourite subjects: travelling the world, & even better, being well-dressed & having momentous amounts of fun at the same time!

The timing is perfect, because I wrote this at the same time as I was planning a big Californian adventure with some of my best girlfriends!

Is there anything better than packing a bag, making a puckered-up kiss face at yourself in the mirror & catching a cab to the airport? If you’re anything like me, the answer is a loud, resounding NO! To me, travel is one of the very best things you can do with your time. Its merits are multitudinous & bountiful.

Firstly, you get to escape your everyday existence, & while hopefully your everyday existence is a pretty happy & satisfying thing, being able to get away from it only amplifies your appreciation for it when you get back. Secondly, it fires up your creative impulses. In an unfamiliar situation, you’re forced to use your brain in new ways, which results in you being more inventive & experimental than ever. Thirdly, it’s an excellent way to get some perspective on your life — & remind yourself that there is a big, big world outside your little bubble!

...But travel can be tricky. How is it possible to transform from a shopping addict (& general stuff-lover) to an Insta-Nomad™? What do you need to take with you? Have they eased up on that farcical “liquids ban” yet? & what is the best way to deal with a crying baby in the back of the plane? (The answer always involves rum!)

Subjects covered include…
Whether travelling with your best friends is the kiss of death!
How to survive — & make the most of — travelling alone
Scoring the best possible price on your flight, hotel or package!
An all-inclusive accommodation guide (from hotels to couch-surfing & everything in between)
International Playgirl travelling must-haves
Travelling in style: what to pack!
How to deal with nerves & anxiousness
Not just surviving, but thriving & even BEAUTIFYING while you fly!
Getting an upgrade… demystified!
How to take AMAZING holiday photos every time
The value of keeping a travel journal
How to cope with crippling homesickness
Making friends in foreign lands!
A huge Q&A from galadarling.com readers
Resources to keep you sane & clued up!

I think this is the meatiest chapter of Love & Sequins so far. Clocking in at a scale-tipping 20,000 words (!!!), it contains all my tips for making your travels as magical & wonderful as possible! Bundled with the writing is an MP3 of me reading it aloud to you, which runs for over an hour! Fun!

The PDF also includes pages (& I do mean pages) of INCREDIBLE travel tips from your fellow nonpareils! Those girls know their stuff!

The whole thing is a wonderful travel bible for women who want to globe-trot in style!

Go on, International Playgirl! Get your filthy little mitts all over it! The chapter is $12, & if I may be so bold, worth every penny! Click click click!

International Playgirls Unlimited! is the tenth chapter in my Love & Sequins series. You know what that means! There are nine other episodes that came beforehand! You can buy the whole lot for $84 by clicking right here!

But if you’d rather pick & choose the ones which interest you most, see below! You can click the hyperlinks to get more information about each chapter, too!

Love & Sequins #1: LEARNING TO LOVE YOURSELF — Self-adoration, manifesting your ideal persona, channelling your inner Marie Antoinette & everything in between!

Love & Sequins #2: THE SMART GIRL’S GUIDE TO BUSINESS — Taking control of your life, finding your passion, loving what you do & making mad bling!

Love & Sequins #3: LOVE, SEX, THE GALAXY & EVERYTHING — From falling in love to co-habitation, & all the beauty & madness contained within!

Love & Sequins #4: A GUIDE TO MANNERS FOR THE MODERN MINX — Etiquette, social graces & charming the pants off total strangers for the uninitiated!

Love & Sequins #5: FINDING HAPPINESS & MAKING IT STAY — Choosing joy, making magic & devoting your life to love, adventure & deliciousness!

Love & Sequins #6: DAINTIER, SMARTER, BETTER DRESSED — A deluxe guide to looking truly fabulous, defining your personal style & being the best-dressed girl at any party!

Love & Sequins #7: BLOGGING 101 — Living & loving online, monetisation in the new world & thinking beyond the 9-5!

Love & Sequins #8: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER — Keeping your friendships fresh, finding platonic soul mates & clearing out the fakes, phonies & meanies!

Love & Sequins #9: MANIFESTING & MAGIC-MAKING — Using imagination & reverie to create a perfect universe!

My sweet tulips, thank you so much for your support of this girl writer. It means more to me than I could ever say! I really appreciate it & am so very grateful!

filed under: consumption, podcast

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Daily Outfit: 25th July 2010

27 Jul 2010

Okay, perhaps “Daily Outfit” is a bit of a misnomer, ‘cause I didn’t go out in public like this! (Wait, does climbing around on a fire escape count?) It is something I wore, though!

...But before you scroll down, please know that what follows are multiple pictures of me in my knickers! If that’s not cool with you or your workplace, please, avert thine eyes!

Greetings from Weimar Berlin!

(AKA Molly Crabapple’s den of debauchery!)

On Sunday morning I packed a bag with accessories & showed up at Molly’s door. I did my best to mask my nerves — I marched around talking about Important Virgo Business — but underneath it I was all a-tremble. Why? Because I had to take my clothes off & prance around for three lovely ladies… & A CAMERA!

(Dun dun dunnnnn!)

Unlike many of my friends, I am not, in fact, naked on the internet. Years ago, I considered it, but I never went through with it. Pretty funny, since I don’t even like wearing a bathing suit in public! But somehow, when my friend Gaby from Hopeless Lingerie & I were talking, & I came up with the brilliant idea of trotting around in her wares & putting it up on the internet, I kind of forgot that that would entail me showing… well, you know, most of my body.

At times, I felt like the shoot was cursed. I booked a room in a hotel — a hotel which was once a patron of the arts, which was once my favourite — only to have the man at the front desk refuse to let Bianca Alexis, my photographer, up into the hotel. It would cost us thousands of dollars for production fees, he said. Oh, & did I mention I still had to pay for the room? (RAGE!)

Finally, finally, Bianca & I organised to shoot in Molly’s amazing apartment. I turned up in the morning, plugged in my steamer (My Little Steamer to the rescue again!), & started chatting away as I flattened my frippery. ...Until the power went out. Yes, we had overloaded the circuits. Molly had to call a man so she could fix it. All was going well, & then it happened again. If I hadn’t just had extensions put in, I would have been tearing my hair out!

Thankfully, eventually we sorted it out!

Bianca showed up with an enormous lighting rig & brought Mischa Golebiewski with her to do my hair. I had emailed them both a bunch of reference pictures & we decided to curl my hair. I’d never had my hair curled before, so had no idea what to expect…

I’m wearing…
Hopeless Lingerie Sally silk ruffle bralette
Garter belt by Hopeless Lingerie
Fishnet stockings
Bordello Pleaser platforms

Isn’t this totally what you want to be wearing every evening when your lover gets home from work?!

I’m wearing…
Lace bunny ears (from Hot Topic, if you can believe it!)
Rhinestone collar (borrowed from Molly)
Hopeless Lingerie Ellen silk halter bra
Hopeless Lingerie Ellen silk garter belt
Fishnet stockings
Bordello Pleaser platforms

I also climbed onto the fire escape wearing this! IN THESE HEELS. Trooper!

I was having fun rolling around on the couch, but it wasn’t until I put on this green set — & my trusty new bowler hat — that the pictures really came alive.

Meet my alter-ego, Eyelashes Akimbo!

Eyelashes Akimbo is a tap-dancing sensation & spy. Her performances are often, secretly, Morse code. She enjoys scotch straight from the bottle, tapping her cigar ash on rambunctious men & imported chocolates.

I’m wearing…
Straw bowler hat (from Eye Candy by New York Hat Co. & made right here in the city!)
Hopeless Lingerie Dahlia silk bralette (I love the straps around the waist, they are sooo sexy & flattering)
Our Darling funerary ring by Bloodmilk
Lace-trim cheeky leopard print knickers from Victoria’s Secret (which you really only see a peek of in the following picture!)
Hopeless Lingerie Lily silk garter belt
Fishnet stockings
Bordello Pleaser platforms

Isn’t this such a perfect little corner? You gotta give props for the way that Molly’s aesthetic permeates everything she does. LOVE that girl!

By the way, while we were shooting this, she was sitting at her desk drawing portraits of old jazz masters with a fountain pen, & kept looking up & smiling at me & making me laugh! Hahah. She is a wonder.

Bianca Alexis did an amazing job with the photos & made me feel so comfortable. Not to mention, she had them to me, retouched & ready to go, by Monday evening! (Almost unheard of!) Bianca, I looooove you! (By the way, if you feel like a blast from the past, here are some of the other pictures we’ve made together! Daily Outfit: 10th July 2008 / Daily Outfit: 13th September 2008 / Daily Outfit: 17th September 2008)

Bisoux to Mischa for giving me amazing hair!

Molly Crabapple is a superhero for accommodating us, & was the perfect host. MWAH!

Last but not least, huge thanks to Hopeless Lingerie for making me custom garments & being so wonderful in general! I think the quality of their pieces speak for themselves — they’re gorgeous, hand-made & really flattering. A perfect treat for you or your lady.

You can follow Hopeless Lingerie at their blog, on Twitter & on Facebook!

Eyelashes Akimbo is waiting for you (& your chocolates)! Until then…

filed under: daily outfit

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Love & Sequins Sale Ends In Three Hours!

25 Jul 2010

Photo by Kitty ♥ Rouge.

Bonjour!

Just un petit reminder that if you wanted to pick up a couple of Love & Sequins chapters for half-price — or even go WILD & score an entire subscription for half-price — you only have three hours left!

It’s great for listening to on plane or train rides, as you walk around the neighbourhood or even as a kind of demented lullaby while you’re drifting off to sleep! I’m really proud of it, & I wouldn’t want you to miss out!

Aw! It touches the heart! Click here for the sale!

By the way, Love & Sequins #10: International Playgirls Unlimited will go on sale Monday! Excitement ++!

Enjoy the tail-end of your weekend & I’ll be with you soon!

filed under: podcast

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