Wouldn't it be nice if the world was Cadbury?

Or even better...LINDT?? Their chocolates are ever so tasty and they melt in your mouth and then you feel like you're having an *insert shade of Nars most popular blush* (if you get my drift) and you just DIE because they come in the SMALLEST of portions!

If from this and my previous post you have not come up with the conclusion that I have an obsession with chocolate lounges, you will cotton on to it in the next couple of weeks.

I do love a good chocolate lounge. Will religiously worship person who came up with brill idea when I find them. Lindt Cafe is probably my favorite lounge, on account of delicious macaroons depicted in picture above. Im torturing you aren't I? Yes, I do love a good torture chamber as well. I kid. Heh. Heh...:S Moving on.

We like the hazelnut macaroons the best. Only because I too have an obsession with hazelnuts. Like a squirrel. Wooo little squirrels! So cute! Devastated that we don't have them in Australia. Surrounded by weirdo marsupials instead. Why must I keep veering off topic today..

Must also recommend the mocha. Taste is that of wicked, evil, rich chocolate married with a knockout blow of a caffeine hit. Note: caffeine hit is extremely powerful. Similar to a king hit. Maybe stronger. This shit keeps me up all night. Though judgment is unreliable seeing as I have a low low loww tolerance to caffeine.

I love: scraping the chocolate sauce from the inside of glass and mixing it all in.

I hate: how high end cafes and restaurants make you do half the preparation of your meal and make you pay twice as much.

That milkshake was evil. The devil of liposuction created that milkshake just so he could get more customers. If on diet, tread around this beverage carefully and head for the mocha. Haha diet? What diet??

You can find Lindt in Melbourne in the city down Collins St or at Chadstone. Happy eating! :)

Milk Tee

One stays cool in the warmer months by donning the white t-shirt.

shirt: American Apparel, earrings: Sportsgirl, elephant necklace: Indonesia, watch: Chanel J12 classic, elephant ring: Diva, bracelet/bangle thingy: Indonesia, tights: Platinum, shoes: Mimi Loves Jimmy

Weather is to my liking today. Feeling lucky that tan did not fade during winter. Had to rummage through packed summer wardrobe to find suitable outfit. Here come the memories:

THE STORY OF THE BRACELET:

Short work experience program at Chic magazine in Indonesia last summer had me working with a woman scarily similar to Nuclear Wintour. Devil had me running around doing dirty work such as picking up coffees, storing models' belongings, picking up clothes for photoshoots. Found myself rocking back and forth in the corner of the office with my tenth cup of coffee on some nights. I am only slightly joking.

On my last day of the program, devil wears extremely adorable bracelet that wraps around her bony wrist and turns into a sequence of bangles. She gives it to me.

THE STORY OF THE RING:

ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL! Well, not quite. Has a slightly unhealthy obsession with elephants. Before beautiful sister left to work in France for two years she left me the elephant ring to remember her by. In love with the girl.

Anyway. Had wonderful afternoon tea today in the lovely weather. Little cupcakes :)

He Is Late For A Very Important Date

On my twentieth birthday he hopped into my life.

And chewed up a $200 pair of Steven Maddens.

Evil rabbit caption: RAWR I HAVE COME TO CHEW UP ALL YOUR DESIGNER SHOES

NOM NOM NOM

The situation: A quick update on the couple who goes out to coffee and ends up having hot chocolate and other selfishly delectable delights.

Location : Theo Brama Chocolate Lounge.

Madness.

Lounge seems entirely made out of chocolate. Walls are shades of mocha, caramel, butter cream, and, well, chocolate. Tables are similar to blocks of coco goodness. Aroma that hits you like a Sunday morning hangover smacks you in the face as you walk in through glass doors. You know, being a devoted Max Brenners customer, I find that this lounge is becoming another favorite. Does this count as cheating? Infidelity in the world of chocolate lounges. What are the unspoken rules??

And made an incredible discovery. MUGS ARE SO INNOVATIVE! Has bizarre yet clever idea of putting tea light in container under mug, to keep choco drinks warm. Genius.

Theo Brama's self-warming mug vs Max Brenner's hug mug. The winner? I live in a world of incredibly tough decision making.

Haul: Missha, Chloe, Nars, Shiseido, YSL

First of all, let me apologize for the revolting camera quality. Currently I have been forced to use the video recorded to capture images as a result of losing my old camera. My father, keen photojournalist, keeps a close eye on the new SLR and I am only able to steal it from him once in a blue moon.

The Good News: I am saving up for a new camera :)

Therefore we can release a sigh of relief and move on to the haul.

MISSHA

Missha BB Boomer

$19.00 (AUD)

I must confess, that this was not the first item I purchased from the Missha store - although I would like to talk about it first because I am slightly anal (pardon the language) and I do prefer to write about each product in order of how you use them. You see, the BB Boomer is an illuminating primer that moisturizes and helps the lasting power of your BB cream. So naturally: primer first, makeup second.

Smell is that of baby product/floral. It is sweet but not to the extent of other products that make your face smell like a Pattiserrie. Texture is similar to most other primers. I will not rave, as I do not consider it very special. Doesn't really cover pores but creates a reasonably smooth canvas for your BB cream. Is filled with minuscule pink fairy-dust-like-particles to give skin an amazing I-am-a-Korean-Celebrity look. Fear not: minuscule fairy dust particles does not result in crazy disco ball face. The effect is rather subtle.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream no. 31

$32.00 (AUD)

This was the first thing I purchased from the Missha store. I went quite mad searching the whole of Melbourne for it. Ended up in Box Hill. Was quite happy walking into brightly lit cosmetic store with Taeyang's Wedding Dress playing in the background. Heaven.

Product is a foundation. Is skin-lighting: perfect to fade age spots, sun spots or acne scars. Has incredible coverage - better than most BB creams. Has anti-aging properties. Smooths out lines, conceals redness, dark circles, may even be able to give Superman a run for his money. This product is that of magic potion quality.

Things about it that makes me :(

Product only comes in 3 shades. Quite disappointing. Color purchased turned out to be far too dark for me, as product oxidizes throughout the day. As much as I loathe M.A.C, I do know that most people are familiar with their shade in the Studio Fix Fluid. To compare: I am an NC 38 in winter and an NC 40 to 42 in summer. The Missha Perfect Cover BB cream no. 31 was at least three to four shades darker than my skin tone, therefore matches with the NC 45 +

Shades also has an odd greyish pink tone, which makes it tough to work with if you have warm undertones. I suspect this works best with people with cool undertones.

Sample: Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream no.23

After discovering that the no.31 made me look like my face had taken a vacation to California without the rest of my body, I went back to the store to pick up a tester of the number 23 to mix in and hopefully make my BB cream match my skintone better.

The lighter the colours, the greyer the tone. Bizarre. However, by mixing no.23 with no.31 I created a color that matched NC40. The yellow undertone of the NC 40 could not be matched however, therefore BB Cream looks best when worn for casual days out. Will not recommend for photos. Will make face appear ashy in pictures.

Begins to wonder if Koreans have grey skin...

Sample: Missha Oxygen Mask

Have no idea what this is. Have not tried on account of all instructions written in Korean. Will go back to Box Hill to ask Shop Keeper how to use. Horrified that the only store is in Box Hill.

NARS

Nars Lipgloss in Striptease

$55.00 (AUD)

Sits and ponders for a moment about the name. Why do all my favorite Nars products make me blush? *cough * orgasm, deep throat*cough*

Have been infatuated with Turkish Delight for too long. Decided to make a switch and purchased Striptease as an impulse buy. Product is not too sticky, well pigmented, and has slight shimmer reminiscent of the the sea under the stars. Color is innocent baby pink. Very very baby pink. Over application results in frosted baby pink.

Swatch:

Alright, you can't really see but this shows how nude it is. Color is nude with baby pink tinge.

GIFT: Nars mini lip trio

I do feel all soft and gooey inside every time I receive a letter in the mail from Myer. Today's gift: from the Mecca Cosmetica new color catalogue, a promotional Nars gift.

Died of happiness.

Came back to life in oder to test out lip glosses.

Came in three colors.

SWEET REVENGE, MISSBEHAVE, ALL NIGHT LONG

Look at how small they are compared to the standard product though haha. I am not too fussed. Freebies. Still smiling.

Sweet Revenge

All Night Long

Missbehave

SHISEIDO

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam

$73.oo (AUD)

Pricey for a cleaning foam. Hesitated to purchased. Quite happy I did.

Product is highly FOAM-ABLE. Am not exaggerating. Half a finger nail sized dollop foams up whole face. And I have a big face. Leaves skin feeling extremely clean. Has a brightening effect. Skin looks exfoliated. Promises to fade away my scars. Have not seen much difference, but have not been attacked by an army of breakouts so far. Sigh of relief. Would have died if breakout army came to invade after forking out the painful $73. Does not leave skin looking like cracked Australian outback. No reptilian peeling either.

CHLOE

Chloe Body Perfume

(Price unsure. Received in Chloe pack when purchasing new Chloe perfume)

Smell is lovely. When worn before spritzing oneself with Chloe perfume, scent lasts forever and ever. Scent is very floral - reminiscent of an English garden. Texture is creamy and smooth. Slightly greasy but absorbs into skin after a while. Leaves skin feeling smooth but has no lasting effect. Does not seem to have any skin restorative properties.

YSL

YSL Rouge Volupte no. 30

$55.00 (AUD)

Color is that of Barbie's shoes. Light florescent pink has slight coral tint. Texture is very VERY creamy. Has a slight slip: color does not cling well to lips as a result of extreme creaminess therefore lasting power is as weak as a Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume (hehe had to bring up. was so disappointed with pretty smelling product).

Case is luxurious. Heavy. Gold. Soft click upon closing. Nifty mirror on lid. Overall, product's packaging can be mistaken as a Crown Jewel.

D.I.Y - Acid Wash

Speaking of Shibori, and tye dye, and other ways to make your clothes look like you forgot to do the separating on washing day: A few seasons ago, a bizarre eighties trend re-emerged in the fashion look books - and it certainly did not fail to catch my eye. The method of burning the blue out of "blue denim" by dousing a pair of jeans in acid was rather popular in the time of Bueller and his breakfast companions. Such blotchy denim could be seen paired with fluorescent white hi tops and Baby's famous perm.

Whilst until now, the perm has still failed to make its glorious comeback (perhaps because it tends to make one look like a giant fluff ball) our friend Mr. Blotchy Denim returned with some new friends.

Introducing little miss Blotchy crop top. Designers decided that it was high time they broadened their minds and splash acid onto other materials. The blotchy crop top emerged in traditional acid wash and stone wash during the cooler months, designed to be layered over block colors to create texture and dimension. Other versions of blotchy garments emerged as well, such as the blotchy singlet, blotchy vest, blotchy tights and even blotchy dress. To further enhance their "garments-destroyed-in-the-wash" look, most fashionable acid wash tees were sold un-hemmed, ripped, or with novelty half-sewn-on pockets.

The price to pay for items that looked as if your dad did the washing whilst mother was away made me laugh. Therefore I decided that I could attempt to do it myself.

If you wish to wrap yourself in blotchy clothing, then do read on.

SIMPLE ACID WASH INSTRUCTION MANUAL (FOR LOVERS OF BLOTCHY CLOTHES):

1) Locate and acquire old top. Choose one that is colored, because most black dyes are brown based, therefore acid washing a black top may result in a muddy mess.

2) Do wear some sturdy cleaning cloves. You are working with chemicals that burn stuff. You do not want your hands to be on that particular list of "stuff".

3) Find a well ventilated area and strap on some bird-flu masks. Breathing in the fumes are obviously quite dangerous.

4) purchase strong and I mean seriously heavy duty bleach. You do not want to buy the weak diluted stuff. It won't work.

5) Lay old top flat and merrily splash some bleach over it like a madman.

6) WORK QUICKLY. The bleach will burn the colors in seconds, so hurry up and use your hands to scrunch and twist your old top so that the acid will settle in random areas (therefore creating the blotchy look).

7) Take a look at your work. If you are happy with the result, rinse with cold water, and let it hang dry. You can add more bleach if you want more blotches, otherwise I'm pretty sure most sane people would be satisfied after the first run. But...whatever floats your boat.

Happy Father's Day

Fathers come in a variety of assorted packaging. Some are wrapped in suits and hand stitched Italian loafers, whilst others are adorned with bowling shirts and eighties denim high pants. There are those who come with novel accessories such as beer cans, golf clubs, green thumbs, organizers, or fountain pens. However, different they may all be, a simple commonality can be found...that is we would not exist without them.

My father is one that should have come gift wrapped in a khaki safari suit and matching hat. The man lived quite an adventure, and I grew up listening to countless stories of amazing cities and characters he had met along the way.

A born traveler, dad studied abroad in Europe with a scholarship and an interest in seeing the rest of the world through his own eyes. He traveled everywhere, and whilst my mother was still pregnant with me he sent her letters and photographs from Paris, Berlin, and London.

I remember being ten years old and a curious girl who constantly rummaged through her mother's dressing table. There was a tiny yet beautiful Eiffel Tower necklace that caught my eye. The chain was thin and crafted out of a white gold, and hanging on it was a square marble pendant with the gold tower carved into it. I asked my mother if I could borrow the necklace, and she said yes but on one condition: I had to take very good care of it.

It was quite old, she explained.

Dad had sent it over to her in the mail when he traveled to Paris. At the time, she was still pregnant with me, and could not travel with him. She told me that the necklace was older than me, and that I should treat it like I would an elder: with respect. So I did just that, and wore it with pride to a dance recital where I later stood back stage showing the tower off to my peers, warning them that if they touched it I would tear a hole in their leotard.

Although I was only partially joking.

After me and my baby sister was born, dad made a rather drastic decision to move us away from our home town, which was then the bustling metropolitan city of Jakarta, Indonesia. There was political unrest that made my parents uneasy about our future if we chose to stay.

My father had been offered a job in Australia, and so he took us with him in search of a better life. It was lucky that he did, because only a month after we waved goodbye to relatives and friends, all hell broke loose as the economy crisis in Indonesia worsened. I watched the riots on the news miles away in Melbourne, my new home.

Until now I still think about how lucky we were to have fled just in time. And today, on Father's Day, I celebrated the life of a man who showed me the world.

"Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world"

click me

Wouldn't you agree?

BIENVENUE

The Japanese have a word called Shibori that is used to describe certain methods of creating patterns on dyed cloth; by means of twisting, stitching, folding, or binding. Different methods of fabric manipulation will lead to different outcomes in patterns. In the Western word, this method is more commonly known as Tye-Dye.

Humans are like Shibori pieces. Each one of us is a work of art, and each one so individual. We turn out the way we are because of the decisions we make in life. Our twists, and turns, and our choice of direction will eventually result in a life design that is as unique as a snowflake.

Now, most blogs function as online diaries. They give us an insight to a blogger's lifestyle, and describe the unique decisions they make each day. These are documented decisions that will constantly change their personality and who they will be remembered as. They say "This is what makes me who I am".

So my thought process was quite simple. If I were to create a blog that would document the daily lifestyle decisions I make I would call it a Shibori. These are the methods of life manipulation that I have chosen that makes me who I am. The day-dreaming Shasha Van Der Pendersen.

Welcome to my world!