Ooh I know I shouldn’t have and the big problem I have is that if I fess to all of you what I’ve done then my husband reads this too.  I’ve told him not to, that reading my posts isn’t good for his health but he wont listen, “If you read what I buy then it will just upset you, so you just shouldn’t”.  But he still does.

You see when I tell you all what exciting new things I have found lately, he knows too.  But it’s ok because to help you all out, I will take one for the team.

Now this particular great find of mine is a double whammy, whilst it’s a tale of a great find, it’s also a tale of great loss.  My loss in fact and yes I do wish I was talking about weight, but instead it’s my GHDs.  I bought a pair of them about five years ago and they were lovely.  Didn’t get much better really, did a great job and, given I only used them about 4 times, were in a pretty much near new condition.

Here’s a hot tip, straighteners don’t work on fine hair.  Not a lot of point of straightening fine hair it only makes you look like you have a whole pile less.  So in the cupboard they stayed.

So, what’s the problem?

Well I lost them, can’t find them, disappeared, gone for forever and yes, you guessed it, I have no clue where they went.  Now the problem is that I have a daughter that has the most beautiful thick hair, which she would like to have straightened on a regular basis and no straighteners.

I do want to say in my defence that I have resisted this temptation before now to replace them.  Lets face it, GHD have brought out Gold ones, Black ones with swirls on them and lots more.  But their latest range really got me.  Oh my stars they are gorgeous.

Their latest limited edition rainbow coloured collection are to die for.  My daughters are going to love them.

There is Purple Indulgence, my choice, Red lust, Blue Serenity and Green with Envy.  We all know these are the best on the market, so I am sure the colour makes them even better.

In store now, don’t miss out as they are for a limited time only.

How did I go with justifying them?  Think I will get away with it at home?  Wish me luck.

Available:  Selected Hair Salons

Price:  $369.00  but I did hunt around on the web and found them for $339.48 (8% off) on

www.hairproductsonline.co.nz

No Comments »

  Now before I start, can I say that I really wanted to like this book.  So much so that I couldn’t wait for it to be in stores here in New Zealand I ordered it off the Internet.  Yes call me crazy but  I was desperate, the reviews said it was great, she’s Mehmet Ozs wife, it must be great.

So it arrived and I was so excited.  The book is titled US, ‘Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter the Most.’  I pretty much sat down and started to read, I wanted to know what she thought was the answer on how to live a great life.  She of all people would know, she’s married to Americas Dr Oz.  It’ like finding a secret path to the Holy Grail.  Or is it?

I guess we should never assume things then should we, which is precisely why I am here at thia point writing this.  I am here for you, to sift out all the rubbish and to help you make better buying decisions.  I wonder if I can swing that one past my husband, it was research and I needed it straight away.

I couldn’t have been more disappointed reading this book.  Really like I said at the start, I was certain she would be great to listen too.  You see when they put confusing statements on the inside cover alarm bells start to ring.  I love this one “The key to real and lasting change lies somewhere between what you know and what you do.  It’s what you think.”   Ok so what on earth does that mean, I hate these sort of statements that fluff around the facts.  What is she trying to say?  Why can’t she just say ‘The real key to lasting change lies with what you think”  see much easier.

So unfortunately most of the book seems to follow along those lines and if you concentrate  hard you will find the odd piece of good advice that pops out.  But most of it is hard to read, she uses words I haven’t even heard of and I require the dictionary to know their meaning.  This hardly smacks of a book for the masses, which really is a shame as it could have been so mush better.  I found her advice hard to understand and not memorable either.

So in a nutshell, don’t bother with this one if you are looking for a good self book look somewhere else.

 

Available:  All leading bookstores

Price:$34.95

No Comments »

For those of you lucky enough to live in Auckland, this could be worth checking out.

No Comments »

This Nest Sale looks like it would be worth going to, 30% off is a decent discount.  Be  in quick, the good stuff wont last.

PRIVATE SALE: FOR nest VIP CUSTOMERS ONLY
30% off Everything in Store
(And up to 50% off many items)
4 DAYS ONLY
WEDNESDAY 26TH MAY TO SATURDAY 29TH MAY
Starts 9am Wednesday at the following nest stores:
Auckland: Nuffield St, Ponsonby, Takapuna
Wellington: Woodward St
Christchurch: Merivale Mall

This offer excludes already discounted items and cannot be used to purchase gift cards. This offer is for items in stock only and cannot be redeemed against a prior purchase.  This offer is not available for web orders or at stores not listed above.

No Comments »

  You know how exited I get when I find a great product but better still when I find one that’s a bargain as well.  For all you Mascara wearers out there this is your lucky day, because the new ‘Double Extension Renewal Serum Inside Mascara’ is here.

A long time ago I read an article about a women in the States who was trialling this new Lash Serum that was designed to increase your lashes, make them thicker and grow at a faster rate then normal.  I thought how exciting at the time, I have always longed for big beautiful eye lashes to make my eyes stand out more.  I have to create this by using Mascara and we all know that can be hit and miss until you find a really good one.

So I have always wondered how long it was going to take for someone to come up with a reasonably priced one and now they have.  L’Oreal is one of the first cosmetic houses to launch their new Renewal Serum Inside Mascara and I have to say you wont be disappointed.   I love it.  I am a big fan already of their Beauty Tubes Mascara so I was thrilled to see they have launched this on a similar style with the Lash Serum at one end and the Mascara at the other.

Double Extension claims you will have visibly more lashes, plus they will be 80% longer in just 4 weeks.  The Serum is an intensive gel, enriched with essential nutrients to help repair, fortify and strengthen the lashes.  The theory behind this is that it extends the the length of time before your lashes fall out so there are more there than before.

Now if only they could invent this to help the hair on my head and I would be ecstatic.

I don’t know about you but that sounds great doesn’t it.  So I am going to trial it.  I want to know if this really does work.  I going to use it on my eyes and not my head, tempting as that may be.

You can also buy the Serum which you apply to clean lashes at night as well to make this more effective, which of course I have bought. Then you use the other one underneath your Mascara during the day.  Double the dose.

But all that aside even if it doesn’t live up to it’s claims its still a fantastic Mascara.  It’s as good as the Beauty Tubes if not better and acts as a treatment all day long.

I will keep you posted as to how I get on with my trial to see if it works, but I can still recommend it as a Mascara anyway.  I always love the idea of using a primer first, Mascara second and this really is good. 

Give a it go and I always find that L’Oreal is reasonably priced and good value for money.

It’s getting rave reviews.  Some are claiming this is better than eyelash extensions and I’m not surprised as my lovely friend commented the other night, she thought I had had eyelash extensions put in.  No not me, it’s just my new Mascara.

To help make sure there is no clumping when you apply your Mascara, make sure that you apply the Mascara while the Serum is still damp.

Available:All L’Oreal stockists Farmers, Pharmacies, Selected Supermarkets

Price:$33.95

No Comments »

It’s the grand finale of MasterChef on Wednesday 28 April. Be watching all the excitement tomorrow night in a 2 hour special, starting at 7.30pm on TV One.

Stevens are offering you a fabulous opportunity to set up your own MasterChef kitchen at home with this special offer!

Celebrate the winner of MasterChef with a HUGE 30% off everything instore* for ONE DAY ONLY!!

* Excludes already reduced items, online orders, special orders and the purchase of Gift Cards.
  Not available in conjunction with any other offer. Not available at Stevens Outlet Store.

No Comments »

For that special Mum on Mothers day,  why not try the gorgeous Mums the Word package at East Day Spa.

East Foot Ritual
60 minute Signature Massage
15 minute Scalp Massage or
15 minute Reflexology

90 minutes of relaxation for $140.00

Now doesn’t that sound heavenly.  This is a complete indulgence for that special Mum.  You can either phone, visit one of their Spas or simply buy it online and it will come packaged up ready for you to gift away.  Won’t you be the clever one with this gift.

I particularly like East Day Spa as they have a relaxation room which you can spend time in chilling out before and after your treatments. Its also a great place to visit with girlfriends as you can have treatments together.

Available:East Day Spa Thorndon, Wellington                                 Price:$140.00

N.B  It appears that this offer is exclusive to the Wellington Spa, but there are offers at their other locations as well.  Check them out on www.eastdayspa.com

No Comments »

  I’m not sure when it happened but at some point in my life I seemed to come up with the notion of more expensive is always best.  Now I need to start by saying I am not entirely sure where this thought process has actually come from, because both my parents are very frugal and I am married to an accountant.  How funny is that, no prizes for guessing how much I drive them insane.

So back to my “buying expensive is best” theory.  I have found what I believe to be one of the best facial cleaners I have ever used.  Now I currently have two and the reason for this is that I have one in my bathroom at home and one in my toilet bag I take to the gym.

My more expensive one I use is Nimue and it drives me insane.  For some reason I can’t seem to wash it off without a huge amount of effort and always feels slimy.  The smell isn’t the best either, but yet it’s supposed to be a fantastic cleanser.  The jury’s still out for me on this one.

Ok, so what is better?  Well wait for it, try Olay Total Effects Foaming Cleanser.  I know really Olay, but yes it’s fantastic.  I love it and prefer to use this over my more expensive one.

It’s voted best cleanser by Instyle Magazines beauty experts, so that’s really saying something.  But it really is great on many levels.  It’s easy to transport as it comes in a tube, easy to get hold of as you can just add it to your shopping at the supermarket, leaves your skin feeling clean and smells lovely.  But best of all is the price $15.29.  I can have multiple tubes for that and still not exceed how much I paid for the Nimue.

You wont be disappointed with this cleanser, so put it on your shopping list. The best part is that it just becomes part of the groceries and spend what you save on something else.  How clever is that.  See my husband has to be happy with that theory, doesn’t he.

Available:All major Supermarkets and Pharmacies                 Price:$ 15.29

No Comments »

  Hi and hope you all had a happy Easter.  What better way to start the school holidays than with a fantastic bargain, better still it’s at a store you can take the kids to and they won’t complain about having to go there.  The Warehouse have teamed up with Saben owner and designer Roanne Jacobson to bring you a range of affordable handbags and they have done a really good job.

Don’t wait too long to check them out or alternatively try ordering them online, I am going to try it for the first time.  I bought a Saben Pink Tote about four years ago and it still looks good and I paid a lot more than these prices.  Hope you find something you like, I have.

No Comments »

  Yes before I even try to justify this latest purchase I have to admit that I was completely sucked in by my children, which is what resulted in me buying them in the first place.

You see it was a deal, but we parents should know better.

Rule no: 1 never negotiate with children and Rule no: 2 never negotiate with children, it will always end badly and always for the parents.  Do you think they teach them it at school?   Maybe it’s a class that the teachers don’t tell us about as parents, you know that secret Hey Kids Don’t tell Mum and Dad’ about this class.  The Art Of Out Smarting Your Parents. It could be every teacher’s revenge on us parents.

Seriously my ten year old will be able to forge a very successful career in International Terrorism Negotiation when she gets older and I am sure I will be immensely proud later on in life as to where she acquired her skills.  But just right now it’s very expensive.

So, what exactly, after my somewhat pathetic excuse for shelling out unnecessary money, did I buy?

Well they are called Zhu Zhu Pets and are the latest in must have toys and accessories for today’s most discerning buyers, aka our children.  According to them, these are simply ‘must haves’ and the ‘coolest toys’ I think this how they were described to me.   To be fair, they are very cool and I can go as far to say that if you did turn out to be the girl at the party to give these as a gift, you may very well be the popular one there.

They are a collection of small hamsters that once the battery is in, race around and bump into to everything, make funny noises and then change direction.  They come with a huge range of accessories as you can only imagine and you can actually build  them a place to hang out.  This includes a spiral slide and ramp, a wheel and tunnel (this is particularly cute), a fun house and there is the garage for when you aren’t using the car so you can park it. Seriously, you can put them inside the car and drive around in that, hilarious.

“Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamsters are truly unlike anything on the market,” says Jeremy Kirk-Smith, CEO, Planet Fun Ltd. “They’re smart and interactive but also have the adorable qualities of a real pet with unique personalities and comic behaviour.”

Zhu Zhu Pets™ drive around in little cars, zip up ramps and spin down slides, run in their hamster wheels, and get into all sorts of crazy situations. Their artificial intelligence even allows them to know what room of their hamster habitat they are in. They make toilet-flushing or teeth-brushing sounds when they enter the bathroom, and sleeping noises and alarm-clock sounds when they go into their bedroom.   Hard to believe I know, but they do all this, I have seen it.

Parents beware, once you start you are then on the very slippery slope to buying all the outfits and extra Zhu Zhu pets which can set you back quite a bit. But these truly some of the coolest toys I have seen lately and can highly recommend them.

Available:  Toy World, The Warehouse, Farmers, Kmart

Price: Varies from store to store, I have found however buying online at the The Warehouse they are cheaper.

Starter Set        $48.99

Outfits              $10.39

Hamsters          $19.99

No Comments »