I bet you didn’t’ know that I was a closet ABBA singer and when you can’t hear me, I am really good.  Seriously though ABBA SingStar is fantastic and yes I know that it has been out for ages but I get so much enjoyment out of it, I thought it’s worth mentioning.  I was a little sceptical when it first came out given I felt that I had moved on from that period in my life, but it appears not.  I just love it and for any of us who grew up in that era how can you not enjoy singing to their greatest hits.

I even feel that I have mastered all the head movements and the side to side turns, which can be a little tricky on your first go, but hey don’t let that stop you.  I am sure I looked cool despite what my ten year old says.  But really, how can you not enjoy yourself with this one and even the ones who sit on the couch and point can be seen foot taping at some of the songs.

This is a fun way to spend an evening and girls just love it, when they have gotten over the embarrassment of their mother singing.  This would make a great present for someone who you know has a play station, not much point if they don’t.  A fun girls night out for your girlfriends or just even belting out a couple of tunes when there is no one around can brighten your day.

So if you thought it was uncool, it’s not! I am now officially deeming this to be a cool gift for anyone or just simply a fun way to spend an evening with your kids and friends.

Availability: EB Games, The Warehouse  etc                 Price:$59.98 PS2          $69.98 PS3

$99.00  PS3 Bundle with Microphones

We all know at the moment times are tough, how can we have not noticed.  Like many of you I am really sick of having the Recession rammed down my throat by the media, it’s hard not to think they are partially to blame.

So when I came across this wonderful saying I thought I’d like to share it with you.  It’s my little bit of inspiration to keep us all sane, to help us keep a little bit of perspective when life may seem to be depressing.

Print it out and stick on your fridge or a wall you look at everyday and here’s hoping it gives you the same lift it gives me every time I see it.  Enjoy it and may it make you worry a little less tomorrow.

WHY WORRY

In this life there are only two things to worry about.  
Either you will be rich or poor.

If you are rich, there is nothing to worry about.  
But if you are poor, there are only two things to worry about.

Either you will be healthy or sick.  
If you are healthy, there is nothing to worry about.

But if you are sick, there are two things to worry about.  
Either you will live or you will die.

If you live, there is nothing to worry about.  
If you die there are only two things to worry about.

You will either go to heaven or to hell.  
If you go to heaven, there will be nothing to worry about.

If you go to hell, you’ll be so darn busy shaking hands with all your friends, you won’t have time to worry!

SO WHY WORRY?

Just wanted to let you in on one of my interesting discoveries today, I popped into Overland Shoe Store to admire the new season boots they have coming in and ended up having a conversation with the shop assistant.  She was very helpful and alerted me to a problem we are all going to have this year with new season stock arriving into store.

We need to get in quick, I know most of us are trying to be more fiscally responsible this year but we don’t have to be silly about it do we?  Surely we can have new boots for winter, they are after all an essential part of our winter wardrobe.  But the reason why we need to get in quick is that most stores due to the economic downturn have drastically reduced what stock they have bought in for Winter.  Hence there being considerably less stock in the stores to choose from.

Now she did say they would still be carrying a large variety of styles, just not the volume they have had in past years. So once it’s gone, it’s gone.  Also that there was no guarantee that they would be re-ordering the popular sellers like they did last year.

Now this wee clever piece of advice will probably apply to most retail stores.

So the message today is, if you’re after something particular for Winter, start looking now and buy now.  Chances are that if you see something you like, by the time you have looked around and made your mind up, your size will be gone.  There has never been a better excuse than now to go shopping.

  Well finally I am back from holiday and hope you are all settled back into work and life for 2009.   I found some really cool things over the holidays which I want to share with you and have some more updates on my New Year New You section as well.

This product really needs little explanation but was definitely one of my coolest discoveries in the holidays.  I do need to however clarify this great find though, it’s not so much mine but my very clever friend Alison who came to stay with us at the beach.  What is it?  Well it’s Glad Ice Cube Bags, which you can buy at the supermarket. 

Now I know you’re saying that clearly I’ve had too much sun over the holidays, but wait, this really is cool.  We never have enough ice at the beach and we don’t have an icemaker.  The freezer isn’t huge so the trays often get tipped over and there just never seems to be enough ice.  It’s hot and we are always looking for cold drinks to take to the beach or have when we get back, and so now we can.

These bags are just the greatest invention, seriously all you do is hold the top of them over the tap and they fill up into cubes below, when full you just pull the bag off the tap, tip upside down to make it seal itself bingo is’s done.  Now put them in the freezer and wait for them to freeze.

When you are ready to use them, you pull them out of the freezer and then you squeeze the squares and your cubes just pop out.  How great is that, they lie flat in the freezer, are no mess and easy to use.  You can also keep them as a flat pack and use them to keep things cool in your chilly bag. 

Available: all major supermarkets                   

Price:$3.14 per box  (box contains 8 bags 192 ice cubes)

  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.

  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

Ok so we are nearing the end of October and don’t forget to sign up if you haven’t already for my newsletter. Email all your friends who you think might be interested in my blog, get them to enter into the draw,  when they sign up for my newsletter you will all go in to the draw to win:

An amazing half day visit at Horrobin and Hodge Day Spa which is an hours drive north of Wellington and this package includes:

One hour tailored massage with a choice of four oil blends to enhance your experience

One hour Ilcsi or Hema luxury facial

A thirty minute Sodashi soothing mint foot therapy   and

A sumptuous lunch incorporating fresh, seasonal ingredients and tailored to suit any particular dietary requirements.

This will be an amazing treat for the lucky winner.

For those not lucky enough to win the Spa package or are outside the Wellington area we also have lots of great gifts from the DIY Dolly, Digger Dolly and Desirable Dolly ranges.

I will announce at the end of October, who the lucky winners are, so get emailing and keep checking in.

Competition ends at the end of October.

  I found this pen that can rub out. They are called Frixion Eraseable Pens and are available from Whitcoulls in red, black, blue, green, orange , pink and purple.

It’s quite handy because you write something in pen and when you make a mistake you can just rub it out. The pens are good quality, feel good to write with and the output looks as good as any other pen.  I want one in every colour!