Christmas Countdown: 26 days to go.  Christmas list out next week.

I really wanted to like this film, I am a huge Bond fan from way back.  But I must admit after the last one I wasn’t very hopeful that I was going to like it.  I really hated the last one.  I believe that I have mentioned before, that when you grow up with certain traditions in life these are to be cherished, preserved, they the things we know to be sure.  James Bond 007, the legend, was cool, he had the coolest gadgets, and when you thought all was lost and there was no hope, he would turn and make a rubber life raft out of a Durex.  He was invincible.  We all knew this.

So when he got caught and beaten up all the time in the last movie, had no gadgets and really turned out to be a bit of a loser, I was gutted.  Not my James Bond.

So when I heard this one was steering back more towards the original Bond I was excited, looking forward to it even.  So when the opportunity arose to attend a premiere for it I put my hand up.

For me the first five minutes said it all, the car chase which was supposed to be one of the best, rumour had it they lost an Aston over the side while filming,  so surely it had to be good.  It was impossible to watch,  it moved so fast it was almost blurry and once again no gadgets.  At least he didn’t get caught.

A couple of people remarked at the end they found it to be quite violent and also that they couldn’t follow parts of it because it was too fast.  I don’t know, maybe the quality of the stunts weren’t good enough and they had to speed it up. 

The other thing is you really needed to remember the previous one as it followed the same storyline and well that was a long time ago.  I am sorry,  but I have packed a huge amount into my brain since then and remembering who died in that film hasn’t exactly been top of mind.  So parts were confusing when they referred back to the previous one.

My thoughts are - go along, it is after all James Bond and still an ok film, but just go with an open mind and no expectations,  hopefully you will enjoy it more than me.  Good luck.

Just as an aside, if you want to watch a great movie that is along the same lines with what I would say is the best car chase I have ever seen, check out Ronan on DVD, it’s brilliant.

Available:  All major movie theatres

  Christmas Countdown:30 days.  My Christmas list will be posted near the end of this week so look out for that, there will be some great gift ideas.

I just had the most fantastic weekend away in Christchurch with husband and our lovely friends.  So not only did I discover how hospitable the South Islanders are, I also discovered what I think is one of the very best spray tans I have ever had.  I went to The Salon at Ballentynes, where I had the most fabulous experience and recommend anyone should visit if you are in Christchurch and have any spare time on your hands.   The staff there are fantastic, very obliging and very good at what they do.

I have had many spray tans over the years but this one is definitely one of the best, it’s called Aviva Labs and I was so surprised how good it was.  I had none of the issues that I would normally have with other spray tans, so this is why it’s so good:

it drys in minutes after being applied, so you can put your clothes including bra etc straight back on (which was essential as I really didn’t think as nice as they all were in the South Island, they were ready for me to appear braless on their streets);

it was very even, no patches and I hadn’t even had time to exfoliate before I had it done;

a fantastic colour and very natural;

didn’t come off on my sheets overnight;

faded very evenly;

lasted well over a week and I wasn’t even looking after it, so it could possibly last longer; and

it’s all natural ingredients, oil free, alcohol free, fragrance free, and hypoallergenic.

All in all I would say it was very good and this would be my pick at the moment of spray tans, the added bonus would have to that it’s all natural.  So my guess is that if you currently react to other spray tans, then this could be the one for you.  Also with it being natural it means you can have it done as often as you like without any worries, since it’s natural.

But here’s the only downside, you can only get at Ballentynes in Christchurch, so next time you go to your beautician ask them about it or if they can get it for you. You can buy their self tanners in a bottle which you can do yourself and I know you could order this from Ballentynes and they would ship it to you.  Or go to www.avivalabs.com.au and order the Sunless Tanning Gel which won the Gold Medal in Cleo Magazines Glammie Awards for best Self Tanning Product, directly from them.

Available: Ballentynes Christchurch                           Price:$50.00    Full Body Spray Tan

The winner of the Day Spa Package to Horribin and Hodge is Dianne.

The winners of the Hello Dolly products are Catherine, Katie Carolyn and Derelee.  You will all be contacted directly to receive your prizes.

Congratulations to all of you who won and to all the rest of you who entered the competition, better luck next time and keep checking as there are some more competitions coming up in December.

A special thanks go to Horribin and Hodge and Hello Dolly for their support.

  For those of you that are avid fitness fanatics and for all the rest of us who just pretend to be, help is at hand.   The first edition of Women’s Health magazine has hit the stands in October, here in New Zealand.  Women’s Health has been around in Australia for years and has always been a great source of information on anything from fitness to health.  It has sections on leading a healthy lifestyle, relationship advice, product tips on the best buys and so much more.

Their aim is simply this to inspire us all with innovative and interesting stories, advice from a great panel of New Zealand experts like Sara Chatwin -Psychologist,  Sharon Carey - Weight Loss and Dr Jodie O’Sullivan - Health, just to name a few.

They are keen for us to have a work life balance, not to think life begins and ends with the treadmill at the local gym.  The October issue had an interview with ex-Shortland Street star Claire Chitham and how she lives with Crohn’s disease.  One of my favourites was the product test on a variety of running shoes and the comments back from all of the testers were really interesting.  It certainly helped me in choosing my next pair of running shoes, maybe that will also inspire me to get back out there and pound the pavement.

There are great exercise tips and if you are ready for your big comeback to exercise, what and how should you expect to feel.

I could go on and on about this magazine so judge for yourself… but as always I am saving the best hot tip for last, the really exiting part about this magazine is the special deal price out now as they are launching into New Zealand.  For only $39.95 you get, wait for it, 8 issues if you subscribe now, that’s  fantastic value for such a quality magazine.  You are saving 33% and it effectively gives you 2 issues for free, or you can go the whole hog and get two friends to subscribe as well and you get four free issues.

To get this great deal go to www.subscribetoday.co.nz/whnz/4015 and remember to quote when asked the number 4015 to receive the special discount price, or simply call 0800 630 112.

If you are feeling really adventurous you could always offer to become one of their panelists for product testing which would be alot of fun. 

Available:  all magazine shops nationwide

Price:  $7.50 per issue 

  I had a fun hour and a half the other day when I booked an appointment at the Mecca Counter in Kirkcaldie and Stains in Wellington.  Mecca is amazing and I have waited a long time for them to come to New Zealand, so it was with great excitement I trotted off to meet the team.

For those of you who don’t know why I am so excited about this, Mecca is exactly as its name says, a Mecca of all great beauty products from around the world.  Mecca was launched 11 years ago in Melbourne and has grown to become one of Australasia’s leading international beauty houses.  They have close to 30 exclusive brands under the Mecca label and you know if they think the product is a good one, it will be.

I had the pleasure of going and having a make-up session with one of their leading make-up artists who was over from Australia for two days.  All I can say is wow, I looked like I had been made up for a cover shoot.  They went through step by step what they were doing, which was really interesting and I have since changed a few things to my make-up routine.  I asked lots of questions as you would guess I might so I learnt alot and the team there were really helpful.

So if you feel your make-up is looking tired give them a call at the Mecca or pop in and see them, they can book you anytime for a make-up lesson.  There is a charge of around $50.00, but it is a private consultation and you do leave looking amazing, with the view to wanting to look this everyday.  It has made me make more of an effort and for that alone it was worth it.  It was great fun and I would most certainly do it again.

But a word from the Queen of Shopping herself, don’t expect to walk out of their with any cash left in your wallet.  You are most certainly investing in some truly great products but this kind of exclusiveness doesn’t come cheap.

Some of their exclusive brands are:  Nars, Frederic Fekkai, Stila, Prescriptives, md skincare, N.V. Perricone.M.D to name a few.

Also you can buy one for their magazines from the counter for only $5.00 which has lots of detailed information in it or go to their website which is www.meccacosmetica.com

Avalaible:Kirkcaldie & Stains