to go hooooome!

AAARGH. I hate Qantas. I hate Alan Joyce. I hate whatever happened that made things get this way. I hate being an anxious, paranoid freak because being messed around like this is killing me. I mean, I almost got a stomach ulcer from the mere stress of flying here and going through customs and security and having to deal with an LA changeover. This is my first overseas trip, I'M NOT EQUIPPED FOR THIS.

Anyway, went to the airport today hoping to get on my booked flight, as I heard Qantas would be resuming flights but told there was nothing leaving New York anytime soon. Nobody was able to help me at the airport, they merely gave me a pre-printed letter explaining that I will have to pay for all my expenses over the next however many days I am here, and I would be reimbursed at a later date. Slight problem. As I was only supposed to be here for three weeks, I only brought a certain amount of money with me and I pretty much have nothing left. 

Additionally, Qantas' airport system was down meaning I could not re-book myself for another flight on Monday/Tuesday and would simply have to call and do my best to get through to someone at Qantas. Over the past two days, I have spent approximately 7 hours on hold, never getting through to anybody. I am currently on hold AGAIN, with no response as yet. The lady at the airport pretty much told me that if I simply turn up to the airport again tomorrow I face the risk of not getting on a flight, as other people would have already re-booked. I'm not sure how this is possible.

All in all, everybody has been completely unhelpful. I have to go back to the airport tomorrow, and possibly even stay ANOTHER night and go back on Tuesday. Which means I might not get to Australia TIL FRIDAY. Note: this is apparently the best-case scenario. I was supposed to be home by Tuesday.

What a total mess.

Luckily for me, my cousin and his wife drove me to the airport, waiting with me to hear the news and subsequently are letting me stay at their house. Thank God. The thought of having no family and having to lug my bags around, getting into a cab and having to find accommodation like other people had to would make me want to die. Even more than I am now.

It could be much, much worse, I know. I currently have my own bedroom, bathroom, huge tv and couch all to myself in a beautiful spot in Long Island. So. Slightly less stressed. Slightly.

But am very much looking forward to coming home. My cousin has her engagement this Sunday, and as her bridesmaid I really, really wanted to be there. If I have to miss this because of Alan Joyce...nothing, NOTHING will be enough to compensate me.

more more more

Greetings from New York City! I am, obviously, having the time of my life over here. Every day has been packed full of fun-ness (despite waking up decidedly later than I ever plan to) and the weather has been beautiful but unfortunately it's all passing way too quickly. Can't believe I've been here for over a week. Oh noes. Only two more to go. Lots, lots more to do/buy.

So far, I've been to Sephora (twice) and blown my own mind from the awesomeness that exists. On my first visit to the amazing store in SoHo, I spent a shit-tonne of money. Like, $448 worth. I still have palpitations when I see that figure. I only realised how much it all amounted to when I went to the counter and the lovely lady told me I had 448 points on my brand spankin' new Sephora card. "Oh cool!" I said, "how come?" "It's a point for every dollar honey!" *panic panic panic*

Totally worth it though. I still sit and go through all my prods, days later, totally blissed out. Did another little trip to our local Sephora yesterday. Was a lot more restrained, thankfully. Still scheduled two more trips in though, gotta get some prezzies, pick up some more things I couldn't find and decide what I really REALLY liked so I can double up.

Anyway, PRIORITIES.

I have also bought hella cheap Converse, a pair of fuck-off amazing wedges from Topshop, clogs from Topshop, some cool pretty shirts, and a funny book from the Met called 'Oh my Gods!' about ancient greek mythology, Marc by Marc Jacobs flats (fell hardcore in love for the guy who served me as well, we hung out in the store for ages and I made him laugh, and he made me laugh, and we talked about his tattooed eyelids and I admired how beautiful he was...it was special), jewellery, Diptyque candles...you get the idea. Having some trouble finding clothes though. I mean, obviously I can find them - I can see - but you know, good ones that fit me. Hmm. Need desperately to buy a good cocktail dress for my cousin's engagement or I'mma be naked. PASS.

Places I have been (because I've been doing other things than just shopping, you know): as mentioned above, I went to the Met and it was amazing. Contrary to what my NY host will tell you, I did NOT just look for statues of Aphrodite but looked at like, heaps of other shit too. Other highlights include walking the Chelsea Highline (3 times - looking for the girl with the 'popsicles'), DRINKING REAL COFFEE AT CHELSEA MARKET, seeing the view from Top of the Rocks at 30 Rock (trust me, you want to go to there), walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, and of course, meandering the shops in the West Village. Today I took the subway there and just spent hours strolling up and down and doing major damage on my card. It was sunny and leafy and warm and I'm in love.

Sigh. I'll stop now and update again when I get home. Hopefully will have lots more stories to tell in a couple of weeks (and purchases to show).

P.S. Haven't been going out a lot at night though - any good recommendations for not crazy expensive, busy, insane clubs/bars in NYC? I liked 'Employees Only' where we went last night (also in the West Village) and it was awesome. Amazing cocktails, was able to get a table for dinner despite having no reservation and it wasn't TOO crowded. Fun times. But I want more. So. Hit me up.

stuff.

I've been frantically getting ready for my fast-upcoming trip to New York lately (less than two weeks to go! When did that happen?? How fast did time go by since when I decided to go, let alone booked everything?!). Oh and by 'frantically getting ready' I mean extensively analysing my best options about what phone to take with me/how to make it work in the US and compiling lists of what I want to buy. So. That has kept me preeeetty busy. I'll start packing soon. Maybe. And I will definitely make a trip to my uncle's to borrow his luggage. Soon. I swear.

Until then! A basic summary of things I want to buy. Not that I am limiting myself to what is on this list. Said list is acting as a mere guideline of what I want to look for, but am certainly not limited to buying.

- Cute flats. Am constantly, constantly looking for aesthetically pleasing alternatives to my ever-present ballet flats.
- A Marc Jacobs watch. ALMOST got one for graduation, but went with the Mulberry Alexa bag instead. I know, what was I thinking.
- A mani/pedi from NY's infamous salons.
- CLOTHES. Dresses, jeans, and more dresses are all focal points.
- MAKEUP. Duhhhh. By simply browsing online, I have already pre-emptively allocated $500 simply to NARS. Am not brave enough to even start on Sephora. What a beast. That store will be the end of my life's savings. That's not even an exaggeration. Oh my God.
- A red velvet cupcake. Possibly from Magnolia Street Bakery, but am open to other suggestions. There's probably a heaps cooler cupcake place in NY now. Shit, there's probably a heaps cooler dessert treat in NY now. Cupcakes are so passe. Oh my God I'm not cool enough for this city.
- Also, did I mention a brand spankin' new Benefit store just opened in SoHo?? It's like NY knows I'm coming. Benefit gets at least $300 allocated to it in illuminators alone.
- Presents! I have received so so many wonderful gifts from the delightful people in my life who have had the pleasure of traveling already, that it's time to repay the favour. That is a tonne of beautiful cousins and aunts and uncles.
- Chuck Taylors. I have been holding off on replacing my current almost-entirely-worn-though Converse until I get to America and this trip is not coming a moment too soon. I have a stress-induced panic attack pretty much every day that my shoes will finally wear right through the sole as I'm walking. Scary.
- Cool runners. Going to the gym is an embarrassment every single day wearing the shoes I currently own. I have had them since I was like 13. This stuff is heaps cheaper in the US right? Because the situation is dire.
- Have I mentioned makeup? Benefit High Beam, NARS Orgasm blush, Sephora roller ball perfumes...I am coming for you. Oh, but most importantly NARS Love Devotion lipstick - my current stick that Anthea bought me in Paris has almost run out. It's the perfect coral lippie in EVER and I'm going to get like, three. Seriously.
- Expensive beauty products from Estee Lauder. Advanced Night Repair Serum which retails here for $105...I am coming for you.

Aahh...priorities.

Clear eyes, full hearts, CAN'T LOSE!

So, despite the medium-ness of last night's Emmys I actually have a lot to cover. Mainly of the gushing about 'Friday Night Lights' variety because it is effing amazing and finally got SOME of the recognition it deserved. More on this later. But first, the dresses and funny bits.

BORING. BORING BORING BORING.
There are two types of red-carpet dresses I absolutely loooathe (think: Madonna v. hydrangeas) and they are nude-tonal shimmery blah messes and red dresses the colour of the red carpet. I mean, Jesus, WHY do you want to bleed into the floor? It's outdated, it hardly ever looks modern, it's slightly tacky and it's been done. And last night it got done a lot. Too too much. I was so disappointed/bored I wanted to stab my own eyes out (lucky I didn't though because then I would've missed all the FNL love!!!). Anyway, take a gander at the amount of RED:

Would you look how fucking hard Lea Michelle is posing? Girl needs to relax before she pops something. (Have you seen the video of Sarah Hyland from 'Modern Family' impersonating her? It's amazing: http://socialitelife.com/sarah-hyland-defends-her-impersonation-of-lea-michele-video-09-2011). The other girl above is Nina Dobrev. She is included in this blog because Alana asked me to include her and talk about how amazing she is. I actually can't physically bring myself to do so but because I like Alana I also won't rant about how Try this outfit is, how Old it makes her look, how Tight it is that it stops her being able to move and how it is literally the same colour as the carpet. Also...fishtail gown. I WILL say however that I think she is gorgeous and I want her and Ian Somerhalder to have babies. Anyhoo, more RED:

Kate Winslet obviously gets away with this because she is Kate bloody Winslet. It is a flattering cut, she is stunning, her exuberance as she won her Emmy - all of it worked for her. Fine. Let the red be. Kate can do whatever she wants. ALSO she is now a mere Tony away from completing the full EGOT! Only five other actors have achieved this and I seriously think it is within the realm of possibility that Kate will win a Tony in her lifetime. And I will be ecstatic for her. Because she is great. Sofia Vergara is also fantabulous and while she is technically wearing coral, she fits into the family. But she is Sofia Vergara so I don't care what she wears she is PHENOMENAL. She took a totally average dress to amazing. That is rare. 

There is one more red lady to come, but she goes in another category. Stay tuned.

Average - Good
I don't HATE any of these. But I don't love them either.

I know Katie Holmes' dress is pretty blah. I appreciate that she didn't try and out-do everybody by wearing a crazy couture gown though - she knew this night wasn't about her. Would you look at the close-up her face though?! Crazy gorgeous right? Her skin is glowingggg. Her makeup is perfection. The messy bun is a little too messy for me but eh, can't win em all. My beloved Kristen Wiig I think looks rather fetching in Zac Posen, but I'm still unsure about brown gowns. I dunno. I'm not sure whether that should be done or not. Leaning towards not. Now Amy Poehler! I think Amy looks GREAT. I think she's had a baby, I think she's a normal person and I think that's a fab dress. So. Yes. Mega points to her also for orchestrating the other best bit of the Emmys (all other best bits obviously all FNL related):

Worst
Pictures speak louder than words...

Gwyneth's dress leads us to believe she apparently has an unfortunate gut none of us knew about; Heidi once again wears scary makeup, slicked back hair with dark roots, and has something living growing out of her dress; Zooey Deschanel is showing us how kooky she is with this fug-tastic creation. I'm ashamed of her.

Best
I know one is red, but I don't care. At least it's not the same colour of the carpet.

Martha Plimpton is still totally rocking. Would you look at that amazing body? I love the cut of the dress, I don't MIND the colour, and I love her. And that movie '200 Cigarettes' - has anybody else on the planet seen this? And oh, la, Evan Rachel Wood I have looong admired you and you are so becoming the beautiful lady I thought you would (despite a little stray into Marilyn Manson territory). Such a standout in a sea of 'meh'. Love.

Honourable Mentions
It wasn't necessarily these people's outfits that blew my socks off...

LOOK AT THAT. THE ONLY FUCKING PHOTO I COULD FIND OF TIMOTHY OLYPHANT. Granted, I conducted my search mere hours after the broadcast, but whatever. HE WAS NOMINATED. There should be more, everywhere, all the time, of this hot babe. Look what he looks like:

Rawr. Anyway, Christina Hendricks was babin', Jon Hamm always looks amazing (but Jennifer Westfeldt REALLY needs to ease up on the facial stuff - she sort of freaks me out), Peter Dinklage is the best. The end. But not of the blog - keep reading!

CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS, CAN'T LOSE - FINALLY

 Last night, 'Friday Night Lights' FIIIINALLY got some of the recognition it deserved. One of the greatest shows in ever won 2 of the 4 awards it was nominated for last night and I swear, you could feel the love in the room. Jon Hamm even loves it. He has a boy crush on Kyle Chandler. Speaking of Kyle - he truly is The Man. As Coach Eric Taylor, he is the perfect husband/coach/dad/man that I would want in my life. Oh my God. Seeing him win last night was incredible. My heart swelled up inside my chest and stomach felt like it was in my ass. But in a good way. I was excited. 

When his name was announced during the reading of the nominees, you could hear the crowd couldn't you? There were a lot of FNL fans in that audience. I also thought it was so perfect that Minka Kelly got to present his award to him - they're family down there in Dillon so I personally felt the moment was especially sweet. It's clear how they all idolise him. All the Panthers were madly tweeting after he won, so so excited for their Coach. It was beautiful. And in case you didn't see it (why didn't you see it?!) here's the video:

As you can see, at the end, Coach tries to run back to the mic to thanks Mrs. Coach who he forgot in his speech. I'm not sure how, because, duh, but he did. My heart ached for her because that was her moment too. She did not win her own category (fucking Juliana Marguiles are you kidding me? Two years in a row?? This was not her time. She will have other times. This was it for Connie Britton and FNL) and it reminded me of last year's Oscars. Michelle Williams was nominated as Best Actress for 'Blue Valentine' and Ryan Gosling was not nominated for Best Actor. If you've seen the admittedly amazing film, you know she didn't pull that performance out on her own. It was very much a partnership. Similarly, Coach and Mrs. Coach Taylor made the show through their representation of their relationship - a lot of it was improvised and you can tell because it feels so real. (Duana over at LaineyGossip articulates her feelings on this also and I heartily agree - I had pangs http://laineygossip.com/Connie_Britton_at_the_Emmy_Awards_2011_19sept11.aspx?CatID=0&CelID=0).

Anyway. Life is not perfect. Us FNL fans will take what we can get. CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS, CAN'T LOSE!!!!!! If you haven't yet - Watch. This. Show. Below are pics of Connie Britton, Minka Kelly, Aimee Teegarden and Kyle Motherfucking Chandler:

BUT WHERE THE HELL WAS RIGGINS???????????? Do you know how badly I wanted to see THIS in a suit:

Alas...perhaps next year.

I want Ryan Gosling to save me

So, I have booked my flights for New York (yay!) and I am pretty excited. Despite the fact that I am a giant re-tard and am flying out ONE DAY before Halloween (Halloween in America! How fucking stupid can I get?!) and ONE WEEK before my birthday (seriously, just slap me next time you see me, maybe it’ll get some sense into me) I am still totally amped about this trip.

Even though I am a giant ning-nong. Did I mention I was an idiot?

Every day another special NYC-related thing occurs and it makes me happy. On Sunday, it was watching ‘Friends with Benefits’ in which Mila Kunis’ headhunter character attempts to ‘sell’ the city to Justin Timberlake. As if it needs selling, I know. It made me all jumpy and I felt like I was about to burst out of my skin with anticipatory tingles.

At work yesterday, it wasn’t so much NYC itself which had me excited but the lovely people in my life. I work in a childcare centre and when I told some of the parents I’m a bit closer to about my trip they were so enthusiastic and sweet that they promised to make sure to book me for a few babysitting jobs beforehand so that I could have some spare cash to spend. I mean...sweet, right?!

AND THEN today this happened (well, technically over the weekend, but I saw the video today):

I MEAN. JESUS. RYAN GOSLING SAVES LIVES!!! HE HOLDS BABIES. HE HAS A DOG WITH A MOHAWK. HE LOVES HIS MUM. HE CAN BALLROOM DANCE. HE SAVES LIVES IN NYC. HE IS GODDAMN FUCKING PERFECT.

Scuse the language but I can’t control my animalistic reactions to this creature.

Clearly, I need to do something crazy in New York so that my man can come save me. Then, quick smart, I need to handcuff him to me, ‘lose’ the key and lock that ass down. Make shit legal. Know what I’m saying? Yes man.

Here, have some eye candy so I can have your vote

So, if you are friends with me on facebook/follow me on twitter, you would be aware of the fact that I have entered myself in a competition this week and reeeeally want to win. I apologise for the recent spamming, but I just can’t hide my desperation. Especially as I have some pretty good competition now.

VOTE FOR ‘APHRODITE’ HERE (it seriously takes about two seconds): http://www.primped.com.au/win-stuff/giveaways/primped-posse

I am in the running to win the chance of being a published writer on primped.com.au which is a website devoted to all things beauty. Home of hundreds of how-to make up videos, blogs, etc. and my own personal haven. I would like nothing more to be a part of it all and for this, I need your votes. Pretty pretty please. With sugar on top. And a cherry. And hot fudge. And anything else that lights your fire. You will have my eternal appreciation and love. You look pretty today.

Of course, the judges also have a say once the voting comes to an end in September, but I figure that if I’m super far ahead of anybody else re: votes, they will have to acknowledge my inevitable rad-ness.

I’m hoping that if you ever read this blog you realize how perfect I am to be writing for a beauty and makeup site and composing product reviews. Not only because of my mad writing skillz but also because I care so much about this stuff.

Anyway, thanks for reading and to show just how truly thankful I am, I shall now bribe you with pictures of pretty people. It was just going to be one pic each of my current faves (Taylor Kitsch, single Alexander Skarsgaard…) but for the whole Andrew Garfield experience, I’ve included a lot more of him. I think it’s important for you to fully appreciate every aspect of his awesomeness. Not simply his heartbreaking good looks, but his perfectly floppy hair, what he (his ass) looks like in his Spidey outfit, the way he wears the shit out of a pair of jeans/suit, his wonderful gait, and how fine he looks mackin’ on Emma Stone. They are totally doing it.

Also, there is Ryan Gosling and a baby. Honestly, he’s just playing with us now. How is any straight girl/gay boy supposed to have any hope against what he throws at us. Oh my God. 

And just in case none of the above do it for you, here's a couple for you. Sofia Vergara and her awesome, awesome...brains:

Never ending supply of...

Seriously, come on world, I've done this sort of blog before and my wish has still not been granted. What the hell?

Ughh anyway. I don’t know what is happening recently. All my beauty products are running out! I must have bought a whole tonne of stuff around the same time or something because everything is mostly empty. Imagine: me left with no makeup. Scary indeed.

I wish I could have an endless supply of the essentials, because seriously, that would save me so much money. Most of the important stuff I use is a bit exxy so I would prefer to like, never have to work up the courage to drop my hard-earned dollars on this stuff again.

OR I could just buy it all in New York! Winner!

Products I wish would never run out, ever, that I can’t live without:

NP Set Pre-Foundation Pore Perfecting Primer

Maybelline Falsies Volum' Express Mascara

NP Set Liquid Veil in Buenos Aires

Bobbi Brown lipsticks in Nectar and Uber Pink

Bloom Sheer Colour Cream in Coy - amaze!

Taupey shimmery eyeshadow preferably Estee Lauder

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Pink Quartz

La Ligne de Chanel eyeliner

Napoleon China Doll Foundation

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum - BEST. EVER.

NARS lipstick in Love Devotion

Jo Malone EDP in Lotus Blossom and Water Lily

YSL Touche Eclat. Der.