Chemist/drugstore Makeup Bargains

I have tried a multitude of makeup products from the ponciest counter at David Jones and Myer to the $5 displays at the local chemist. I have had custom-made foundations, stick foundations that make you look like an extra in a zombie movie, tinted moisturisers that make you look like you dunked your head in oil, and makeup that looks fine in the morning, only to disintegrate into a bubbling mess at the end of the day.

My previous faves were Revlon New Complexion foundation and Garnier BB Cream, however they never had the right colour for me. Many of my fellow olive-skinned beauty aficionados will understand the frustration of finding a great product only to find nothing in our shade. In my experience, many makeup companies believe that people generally have unusually coloured skin.

I have come up with a few names for the shades I have seen so far:

Vampire White
Coral Calamity
Bizarrely Pink
Sunburned Lobster
Oompa Loompa Orange
Eggplant Nightmare
Questionable Sunbed Accident

Here's a tip for makeup companies - people don't generally have bright pink skin.

Soooo, to make a long story short (too late!) I have found a foundation/tinted moisturiser-type product that actually matches my skin tone.

And the best part? The prices are fantastic.

So without further ado, I unveil... (Get it? Unveil? Argh)

Coral Colours Tinted Moisturiser - Natural Tan

This is the best thing ever. It goes on smoothly, you don't need to use much and it looks totally natural on olive skin. Yippee!


My other great discovery was this amazing Argan Oil Mascara

I have been using argan oil as a beauty treatment but a hidden benefit of argan oil is the ability to help grow and thicken eyelashes (and eyebrows, if you like that sort of thing!)

I am also excited about the expanded range of products that includes BB Cream and other argan oil based products. The company is local to Melbourne (Brunswick) and the prices are phenomenally good.

What to wear to a yacht club

I found myself attending a function at a prestigious yacht club last week, and found myself clueless without the first idea of what to wear. I had never been to a yacht club before but I figured since it was a business function, the best idea was to stick with the basics in business wear. I wore my trusty Asos jacket, my purchase of the year so far. It pretty much goes with anything business-related. However there are other options when visiting a yacht club that might suit a more casual approach.

Dress code (this may change from club to club)

Option 1 - Business attire yacht club look: Asos jacket, crossed striped shirt, black pants, ankle boots. Voila!

The more formal approach is suited to special events where dressing up is a must. A Topshop white blouse, a stylish ASOS blazer, ankle boots and a delicate silver chain necklace is a simple touch to top off the look.


Option 2 - Casual yacht club look:

A typical casual look includes a collared shirt, some Old Navy grey pants, some Vans low top shoes, an Alpina watch and a dash of Giorgio Armani fragrance.

The main things to remember are no bare feet, no thongs, no bathers, no revealing clothing, no big slogans or logos and no hats. If you go with neat casual, you can't really go wrong.

Hipster alert! If you wear a hat, you may find yourself accosted by a grizzled old sea dog demanding that you shout the bar. You have been warned...

What to Wear for a Night in the Casino

Casinos can be dressy places. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to pick the right outfit. The right outfit will ultimately depend on the Casino itself. For example the bustling atmosphere of a big city establishment will be vastly different to the laid-back atmosphere of a sleepy island town Casino so be sure to do your research first. Many Casinos will have dress codes so plan ahead if you want to make it through the front door!

And now we come to the question of style.

If you really want to make an impression, you can go old school. Think enchanting: James Bond tuxedos, plunging evening gowns and dangerously high heels. This is wonderful in theory, but the idea of tripping over an evening dress and teetering on stilettos does not, in my opinion, make for a good night out.

Conversely, you can go for a more modern approach. This can be anything from tight chic pants and a slinky top to a light summery dress. Personally, I’d go for the more modern approach, mainly due to the comfort factor. When it comes to slinky tops I prefer sparkles. The more sparkles, the better. Who knows, perhaps they’re lucky as well!

Nevertheless, there are some dos and don’ts when choosing the perfect outfit.

Dos:
Be comfortable!
If you’re going to be on your feet wandering from table to table, wear sensible footwear. This doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing heel height, but test out your shoes to make sure they’ll go the distance.

Don’ts:
Fussy necklines and tops that are tight at the shoulders. If you’re going to be reaching down, counting chips, holding cards and throwing dice, then you need good range of movement in the shoulder area. Go for off the shoulder or sleeveless when it comes to tops.

Black seems to be the preferred choice when it comes to dresses but don’t be afraid to change it it up a little. Black can be a little boring on its own.

The main thing is to be comfortable. If you are having trouble to decide what to wear, you can always play casino online, where you don't have to check the dress codes, and most of all, you can have fun! You will get a great gaming experience and you will find even more games than in a real casino.

Pick of the Day - Zara Two-In-One Casual Knitted Top

Zara Two-In-One Casual Knitted Top

This top from Zara looks warm but sleek, perfect for winter.  It's sold as a casual top, and this may be the case if you pair it with jeans, however this top can easily be dressed up with a pair of slacks or skirt for a more formal approach.  Love this top and I will be stalking it relentlessly.

10 Smoothie Recipes and Green Smoothie Heaven - Magic Bullet

My late night infomercial watching has finally paid off.  I bought the Magic Bullet.

I normally don't watch infomercials unless I want a bit of a laugh.  Well, this Magic Bullet thing made me giggle, but it also made me think, hmmm... maybe I could use one of these things...

So I got it:

Magic Bullet Smoothie Maker

How to use the Smoothie Maker:

Tips to remember -

• Leave 5 or more cm from the top with nothing, not even liquid in it.  
• Make sure the lid is firmly secured
• Blend in quick bursts until desired consistency is reached
• Buy fruit and vegies in bulk, then cut up and freeze in individual Glad bags

For example, I bought an entire pineapple last week (one of those ones that has been cut and cored already).  I cut it up into little wedges (about a couple of cm wide), and froze in batches in individual Glad bags.  Whenever I want a pineapple in my smoothie, I just grab a bag and empty it in the blender.
Another good idea is to buy bunches of grapes, wash them and freeze in small amounts.  You can be creative and do what I did, freeze 5 grapes, a few pieces of pineapple, some papaya and a bit of banana in the same freezer bag.  That way you have a ready-made smoothie whenever you want it.


Ziplock Freezer Bags - your new best friend

LJP's Smoothie Recipes


Green Zinger

Little bunch of spinach
A bunch of pea sprouts, cut into sections
Some small cuts of ginger (
5 small pieces of fresh pineapple
5 red grapes
Coconut water

Blend.

This is a tasty, mild green smoothie.  The ginger and pineapple give it a tropical feel.



Red Papaya Slurpee

Large handful of frozen red papaya (bought fresh, then bagged in Glad ziplock bags)
Coconut water

Blend.

You will find that this recipe creates a smoothie with the exact consistency of a 711 Slurpee, without all the sugar and caffeine.


Pine-Green Smoothie

Little bunch of spinach
Large handful of pineapple
5 small cuts of ginger

Blend.

This one is simple, but tasty and healthy as well.



The following recipes are a guide for making smoothies that taste good and make you feel even better.   Don't use all the ingredients listed, there are far too many.
Instead, choose 2 - 5 ideas from the list (or as many or few as you need!) and mix and match.

Enjoy!


Mix & Match Smoothies

Adrenal Support
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Ginger
Sprouts
Leafy greens (eg. celery, Spinach, lettuce, parsley, coriander)
Almonds and / or pumpkin seeds / cashews / brazil nuts / pecans
Papaya or dark cherries
Banana
Raw cacao powder
Red and orange vegetables
Flax seeds
Coconut water or water
Or... Almond milk
Pinch of Celtic sea salt


Weight Loss
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Celery
Grapefruit
Tomato
Chilli
Asparagus
Spinach
Lettuce
Cherries
Grapes
Pears
Cucumber
Lemongrass
Ginger
Unsalted pistachios or sunflower seeds
Papaya
Coconut water or water
Organic coconut oil


Immunity Boost
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Garlic
Potato (organic)
Banana
Ginger
Brazil nuts
Sunflower seeds
Coconut water or water


Metabolism Boost
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Almonds
Grapefruit
Whey protein
Avocado
Chilli
Coconut water or water

Vitality AntiOx Shake
Blueberries
Dried Cranberries
Prunes
Strawberries
Cherries
Papaya
Brazil nuts / sunflower seeds / Pecans
Raw Cacao
Coconut water or water


Digestive Enzyme Booster
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Avocado
Papya
Yogurt
Fresh pineapple
Peaches
Green or red capsicum
Coconut water or water


Skin Glow Shake
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Cucumber
Celery
Avocado
Tomato / Red Capsicum / Red Chilli
Spinach
Berries
Carrot
Papaya
Apricot
Coconut water or water


Green Machine
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Kale
Spinach
Broccoli
Celery
Parsley / Coriander
Romaine lettuce
Cucumber
Coconut pieces
Strawberry
Ginger
Apple
Pear
Pineapple
Lemon
Coconut water or water

Image credits CC Public Domain

technorati tags: green smoothie, adrenal fatigue, immunity boost, weight loss, vegan smoothie, raw smoothie, smoothie, fruit smoothie

Gina Rinehart 200M Charitable Donation Email Spam

I received this lovely email from the kind hearted, generous Gina Rinehart.  Looks legit to me.

The only thing that clued me in was this line:  "...which I intend to use for CHARITY".

Gina Rinehart is notoriously tight with money, giving the tiniest percentage to charity compared with other billionaires (such as Bill Gates).  She also has the dubious distinction of withholding money from her own children until they reach the sprightly age of 75.  A great citizen of Australia indeed.

Did you know Gina Rinehart is also a poet?  Her 2012 poem "our future" was not widely acclaimed when it was released.  I can't imagine why.

I will attempt to analyse her poem. In some instances, I will try to interpret the true meaning behind this vast, meaningful work. In other instances I will use pictures. Wish me luck.


Our Future 

The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strife 
...due to the Global Financial Crisis thanks to Alan Greenspan, George W. Bush, Bernie Madoff and many others who are super rich and super greedy.

And billions now are pleading to enjoy a better life 
I am so glad that Gina has a plan for everyone who wants a better life.  Can't wait to hear it.  Hey wow, strife and life - a rhyme!  This must be a real poem.

Their hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth 
Ah, no.  Digging, exploitation, I knew there was a catch.  Freedom through slavery...  I think I've heard that somewhere before.

  Image credit:  Annabel's House of Books 

And the enterprise and capital which give each project worth 
Sorry, I ranted on so much there that I forgot to stop and appreciate the incredible wordplay of rhyming 'earth' with 'worth'.  This stuff is Gold!! - Pardon the mining pun

Is our future threatened with massive debts run up by political hacks 
Code alert:  She's talking about Labor.  How do I know?  Because I'm PSYCHIC!! 
...and because she is a right-wing redneck loon.
It was Labor who got us through the GFC and saved us from recession.
Then, in 2013/14, the LNP upped the national debt, spent twice as much as the Labor party per day, and even managed to get The Greens to approve this lunacy.  Expect many tears and stern punishments and finger pointing come budget time.  
So, ironically, over a year later, the answer is to Gina's rather prophetic question is "Yes".

Who dig themselves out by unleashing rampant tax 
The mining tax didn't dig anyone out of anything, nor was it rampant.  More like a small speedbump underneath an earth mover.  
I do however appreciate the use of the word dig.  
Incidentally, Gina Rinehart must really hate John Howard and his rampant GST.  

The end result is sending Australian investment, growth and jobs offshore 
Yes, because no billionaire wants to send jobs offshore.  Our billionaires want to exploit workers RIGHT HERE in good ol' Australia...  As long as they don't ask for Australian wages.  Or conditions. 

This type of direction is harmful to our core
Those mining puns again.  Dig, core, what's next?

Some envious unthinking people have been conned 
Code alert:  Envious = Not a billionaire.  
Unthinking? Oh, yes that's right, the people who thought voting LNP in 2013 would be a good idea. Predicting 2013 and 2014 events in 2012.  Gina Rinehart is some kind of Soothsayer!

To think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand 
No actually, it was salvaged by Wayne Swan.  Wow, that almost rhymed!

Now, about that magic wand.  You could try Gina Rinehart's method of prosperity creation:
Step 1.  Be born
Step 2.  Have a Dad who is a prosperous billionaire
Step 3.  Inherit all of billionaire Dad's billionaire assets
Step 4.  Get indignant about all those silly people who think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand


Through such unfortunate ignorance, too much abuse is hurled 
Those educated lefties, they are just so... unfortunate, and ignorant, and abusive.  And... hurly.

Against miners, workers and related industries who strive to build the world
Not so poetic.  Starting to lose the plot a bit here.  Plot? Earth? Did you see what I did there?

Develop North Australia, embrace multiculturalism and welcome short term foreign workers to our shores 
Okay, that's not a line of poetry.  That's some kind of wacky right-wing manifesto.  

Embrace multiculturism? Translation:  import people too scared to complain about conditions and remuneration, then stick them in a miners shed until it's time to rap on the corrugated iron.  But I'm pretty sure nobody has EVER been exploited on a 457 Visa.  They never mentioned it on SkyNews, anyway.

To benefit from the export of our minerals and ores
Read:  For MEEEE to benefit from the export of our minerals and ores

The world's poor need our resources: do not leave them to their fate 
...So we're going to exploit them for $2 a day!  Hey, that almost rhymed too. 

Let's see how contented a miner can be on $2 per 23 hour day.

Yep.  Everything A-OK.  No problem here at all. 


Our nation needs special economic zones and wiser government, before it is too late. 
It was a wise government that got us through the GFC, which was caused by the greed of super-rich people.  We now have Ms Rinehart's version of a "wiser government".  A super greedy, heartless, secretive, economically illiterate, batsh*t crazy, racist, sexist, violent, xenophobic, born-to-rule bunch of despots prone to cronyism and expense rorting.  
Hooray.

A cartoon from The Daily Blog sums up Gina's poem nicely:

Fun facts: Gina Rinehart was nominated for an "Australian Living Treasure 2012" award

Even more fun facts:  She didn't end up winning.




A Haiku by LJP

The ground tilts askew
Soot piles turn gold for Gina
The earth laughs later

technorati tags: Gina Rinehart Poem, Gina Rinehart email, Gina Rinehart spam, Australia, Australian politics, mining, LNP, Mining exploitation

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Avast ye landlubbers, get below deck or I'll keelhaul ye!

Arrrrrrrrrr!!!

Avast ye!!

Landlubbers!!

Keel.. haul...

Ok, that's about the extent of my pirate vocabulary.  For some reason my pirate impression is a little off.

However, for some unknown reason, if I try to imitate a Scottish accent, it turns out pirate.  Although sometimes I sound like a Scottish pirate with a slight Jamaican accent.  I'm pretty sure that combination isn't a common one, but it's the only one I can do!!

So...

In honour of "International Talk Like A Pirate Day":

The Pirate Ergonomic Keyboard

The pirate vocabulary is large and versatile.  Diverse, eloquent, meaningful.  Here is a short rundown:


LJP's Pirate/English Dictionary 

Arrrr:  Greetings, fellow pirate.

Ar:  Where is my parrot?

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:  I am lonely at sea.

 Arr...?  I find you very attractive.

Arraraarar:  I am mad at you but I can't decide whether to keelhaul you or walk the plank.  This is a tough decision that I do not take lightly.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:   Stand by to board incoming vessel.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrragaaaaa:  Scuttle the ship me hearties!

AAAARHARHAHRHAHRHHAHHHAGGGGGGGGHHHHHAAWAWAWAAAAAAA:  Tony Abbott.

Pirate Memo Clip Note Holder


Hear ye, avast ye, and forget ye not, here is the best way for modern pirates to communicate with other pirates.  Plan raids, count your plunder and compare eye patches with this modern method of communication:  Sticky Paper!!  Arrrr.

Pirate Fancy Dress Costume

Remember, less is more.  Or is it more is more?  Maybe more parrots is more.  Less eyeliner perhaps, we've overdone the Captain Jack Sparrow thing.

It's well known that pirates didn't wear eyeliner, they wore blusher made from the blood of their conquests.  Or something...

Just remember, beardy, patchy and cutlassy and blunderbuss-y.

Also remember there is a veeeery fine line between seaworthy cred pirate dude and Adam Ant in the Higwayman film clip.  It's a fine line and I suppose it really depends what sort of party you're going to...  It's up to you...

Pirate Drinks Cooler

This is a contentious one because ice was in short supply on the high seas unless of course you managed to hit an iceberg.  And drinks that required cooling of any kind were a little impractical since the lower decks contained chained men, sheep's dung, one mouldy orange, a barrell of rotgut and a door that you never, I repeat, never opened.

I'm pretty sure pirates drank some kind of 175% proof Black Skull Label Rum that makes your eyes water and gives you the ability to see the past and future simultaneously while completely skipping the present.  It also assists you in understanding what your parrot is really saying to you.



And finally...

Pirate iPhone Case

Because pirates like, had so many like iPhones...  'cause GPS and stuff.  Like how would they have gotten around?  GPS app like I don't know, it was a really old one, like from the 80s?   Yeah, 'cause if they didn't have computers how did they steal series 5 of Breaking Bad?  Duh.. ... I swear... so dumb...

technorati tags: pirate, pirate iphone, international talk like a pirate day, pirate keyboard, pirate drinks cooler, pirate costume, Adam Ant, Tony Abbott, pirate iphone, talk like a pirate, arrr