Thursday, 30 August 2007

Happy Father's Day

I'll admit it, I'm a daddy's girl. Always have been, always will. No one offers better advice, or unconditional assistance like a dad. And believe me, mine has gotten me out of a few sticky situations. Like most parents, he puts everyone else before himself and while he might look a bit intimidating, he's really a big softie underneath.


Of course I love both my parents equally, but this is dad's month. My dad was my age when I came into the world, hence us about to celebrate his 50th birthday just before my 25th. Even though I don't remember too much prior to the age of eight or so, I do remember always being excited when my dad arrived home from working through the night in the mines. He gave me coal to take to school for show and tell (well, I thought it was cool) and taught my brother and I to scuba dive in our pool at home. He could balance both Dion and I on his shoulders, and I've never seen anyone beat him in an arm wrestle. Needless to say, my boyfriend, Ben, was quite intimidated when they first met.


With our family living in three different towns - me in Sydney, my mum and brother on the Sunshine Coast (so Dion can attend uni) and dad working up in Mackay and only visiting every 4-6 weeks - it makes our catch ups so much more special. My dad has always been there for me when I needed him. He's helped me through friendship woes, saved me from poverty in London and he always gives the best cuddles.


So dad, this one's for you. Thanks for being the best dad in the world! Happy Father's Day for Sunday : )

Celeste x

Monday, 27 August 2007

It's not you, it's me

Rather than compete with the drilling and bashing that's going on in our office at the moment (to make way for the arrival of Who magazine into the Pacific stables), and end up giving you some pretty average posts, I have decieded to let Notes go on a little holiday. Don't forget about me while I'm gone... I promise I'll be back with some fresh new material in a week or two's time.

I'll miss you!

Notes on Glossy Paper

Friday, 24 August 2007

I ♥ One Teaspoon

These Le Specs by One Teaspoon sunnies are at the top of my wish list for summer...



They're a little Nicole Richie...



Notes on Glossy Paper

Sass & Bide for Lovable

Sassybella has a couple of new pics from Sass & Bide's lingerie range due for release soon in David Jones, modelled by Girlfriend model search winner, Sarah. She is everywhere these days!



Notes on Glossy Paper

Flashback

Did everyone else love this Vogue cover featuring Sophie Monk as much as I did? The bright glossy lips are back!



Notes on Glossy Paper

Next week is exciting because...

Frankie and Russh are both on sale... as well as a new issue of Nylon with Evan Rachel Wood on the cover (even though I probably won't be able to purchase a copy til a month later).

Notes on Glossy Paper

Thursday, 23 August 2007

Not today dear

I've achieved far too little today and it's already 4pm! Notes will be back fresh as a daisy tomorrow : )

Notes on Glossy Paper

Wednesday, 22 August 2007

Legs 11

Do you like good Australian music? Do you like chilling outside under the stars with a glass of wine while nibbling on cheese? Do you want to support a very worthy and important cause? Then mark Friday 26th October in your diary and get your credit card ready to purchase tickets to Legs 11 - a sophisticated girl power music festival, raising money for Breast Cancer research!

After the success of the event in the Domain in Sydney last year, the organisers are putting on yet another stellar event, with the support of some great musicians - Missy Higgins accompanied by the Sydney Youth Orchestra, The Waifs, Paul Kelly, Bob Evans, End of Fashion and Lior... just to name a few. The boys will be getting in touch with their feminine side, performing songs from the new album "No Man's Woman", a showcase of songs from influential female artists, reworked by men (due out in October).

Tickets to this twilight event go on sale 9am Friday August 31st for $69 plus booking fee from Ticketek. A minimum of $5 per ticket will go directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Visit www.legseleven.com.au for more info.

Notes on Glossy Paper

Tuesday, 21 August 2007

Holy Potatoes!

Where did today get to? As I have been neck deep in beauty products all day sorting out goodies for a shoot (and admittedly painting my nails, and my desk buddy Piper's nails, with awesome fluro orange polish - Kit nail polish... get it at Myer... so hot right now), I apologise for my tardy and short post.

I just thought you might like to know about a very cool book I am reading at the moment called Llamas and Epanadas by Eleanor Meecham - a 28 year old kiwi girl who cycled all over South America by herself. Definitely not something I could ever imagine myself doing, or indeed wanting to do. Camping by a roadside in the middle of nowhere, by myself? I don't think so! Even so, I am entranced by her story and envious of her determination to embark on such a journey of solitude.

Cycling day after day on her old faithful bike, Vagabunda, she crossed the Andes twice in one week, and cycled to the world's highest city, Potosi, via its largest salt desert. My first thought was - she's crazy! But now that I am more than half way through I am in awe of her accomplishment and can't wait to find out the rest of her story.

Notes on Glossy Paper

Monday, 20 August 2007

Best of the Blogs

Since I spend a good chunk of my day browsing through and reading over various blogs online, I thought I'd suggest a few top ones!

fruitybeauty
Harper's Beauty editor, Zoe Foster, has a wonderfully quirky writing style and has more beauty tips to share each day than most girls would learn in their entire lifetime. Even if you're not a big make up person like myself, you will enjoy her funny posts.



girlwithasatchel
If you want to know exactly what's happening in the land of magazines, this is the blog for you. Girlfriend's Deputy Ed, Erica, reads magazines constantly and is always firing off intereting critiques and keeping everyone up to date with industry goss.



fashionista
A daily ritual for me, this fashion blog out of the US will keep you informed about fashion label happenings and mixes street style shots with designer rip off alerts, as well as lots of other fun fashiony stuff.



gofugyourself
A hilariously well-written bitch fest aimed at the fugliest celebrity outfits.



These are all fairly well known so if you know of a hot new blog everyone should know about, drop me a line and tell me about it!

Notes on Glossy Paper

My new (very blonde) hair


With a bit of a dodgy smile : )

Elizabeth has done yet another fantastic job! If you live in Sydney and are looking for a fab hairdresser (she's especially awesome at doing blonde), call Cast Hairdressers on (02) 9380 4043 and make an appointment with her. And if you mention Notes on Glossy Paper she'll give you a 30% discount!

Notes on Glossy Paper

Friday, 17 August 2007

Lucky me!

Little ol' me is off to another work lunch followed by an early mark so Notes will be back again on Monday.

Have a fantastic weekend... I'll be showing off a super cool new haircut on Monday! Can't wait! : )

Notes on Glossy Paper

PS. Have you seen the controversial "rehab" fashion spread in Italian Vogue? Go to news.com.au to see some of the pics and let me know what you think!

Thursday, 16 August 2007

Mean Girls

If there's one thing I've learnt in life it's that there's always going to be a bitchy girl around, no matter where you work, where you hang out, or who you're friends with. Someone who brings you down with her negativity and someone who'd stab you right in the back as soon as you're out of earshot. I know we're all guilty of a little bitch sesh every now and again but there's a difference between a harmless vent about someone's behaviour between friends, and down right nastiness to someone's face.

In reality, girls have very little loyalty to the "sisterhood" and they can throw away good friendships with a flick of their hair and move on. Some girls will be lost to their friends as soon as they land a boyfriend. Some will switch their beliefs and morals to suit the situation. And some just really don't know how to have a meaningful friendship with another female.

Perhaps it stems from their relationship with their mother, or that they were in the bitchy group at high school and have just never grown out of the phase. Because when you get to a corporate environment and find a girl mocking another girl's outfit in the hall ("Didn't you wear that yesterday? Oh no, you've changed your shoes.")*, you realise something must be missing from that girl's life.

When I left high school I thought the bitchy cat fights would have disappeared with the last bell, but since then I have had several dramatic fights with friends, over very trivial things. It's sad to lose a friendship and upsetting to hear someone talking about you behind your back, but in the end all you need to worry about is how you live your life. What your morals are and how you treat other people. Treat others as you would wish to be treated and you will discover true friends who will always have you back (and won't stick anything into it).

Notes on Glossy Paper

*This may or may not have happened where I work.

Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Love Love Love

This shot of Gemma Ward from British Vogue this month!



Thanks to fashionista.com for the scan.

Notes on Glossy Paper

Tuesday, 14 August 2007

Best movie fashion

What's your favourite movie of all time? Fashion movie, that is. Films can create a style all of their own and spawn a chain reaction in the fashion industry. I remember my first movie-inspired fashion purchase... white knee high socks and a tarntan skirt. Hello! Cher from Clueless! Whatever. I thought I was such a Betty.

Magazines draw on films for their fashion shoots, and for pulling together theme pages. Marie Antoinette is a good recent example of inspirational style. Others that spring to mind are Almost Famous (the best 70s wardrobe. ever), The Virgin Suicides (white, floaty, romantic) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (timeless).

What's your favourite film for fashion inspiration? What film changed the way you dressed? Leave a comment and let me know.

Notes on Glossy Paper

PS. Make sure you go see I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry as soon as it hits the big screen. I haven't laughed so hard in ages.

Monday, 13 August 2007

Dang!

Looks like Mary-Kate has returned to her old ways. I liked her so much better without the racoon eyes...

Notes on Glossy Paper

Am currently boycotting...

The Black Eyed Peas' new song - if I hear Fergie raving on about getting her body from her mama one more time I am going to have to go get her a new body to sing about. The poor girl can't get by on hand me downs her whole life.

and...

Stories in magazines about Facebook, and subsequent layouts mimicking Facebook pages... yes we use it, but do we really need to read 5ooo features on it in this month's Cosmo?

overit.com

Notes on Glossy Paper

She really, really wants to be posh (zig a zig ahh)

I nearly snorted cereal out my nose when I saw this pic on Wireimage this morning!

It seems UK Big Brother contestant Chanelle was looking for some attention at her birthday party, so she took some style tips from Vikki B (because we've all seen what a stylish lady she is). The word tragic doesn't even sum it up.

Notes on Glossy Paper

Friday, 10 August 2007

Busy (social) bee

Sorry for the absence of posts yesterday and today... this busy little bee is off at 12:30pm to have a lovely lunch at Longrain and some very fancy cocktails!

Have a great weekend and enjoy this wonderful sunshine!

Notes on Glossy Paper

Wednesday, 8 August 2007

Do you really wanna be like them? Do you wanna be another trend?

A blog entry on Missy Confidential's newsletter today, written by Mel Moss (was a teacher of mine at fashion college), ponders society's quick uptake of "celebrity" fashion. With technology giving us access to paparazzi pics as they're snapped, and major cheap-as-chips clothing chains now able to pump out replicas of outfits mere weeks later, we're all falling under the spell.

Gossip mags tell us how to get the look, where to buy that Lindsay top, or Mischa skirt. Stores like Supre, Sportsgirl and Bardot have such high turnover because they're so "on trend". Want that little denim pinafore Cameron Diaz was wearing a few months ago? Bardot has it in store now. Hell, you can even log on to asos.com and buy yourself an entire wardrobe of "celebrity" garments.

Living in the land downunder, we're already subjected to a bit of recycled fashion, being that we're six months behind the rest of the world (though I still believe we can be ahead... if you look at time differences, we are), and many designers are "inspired" by European trends. It's hard to find fresh, new designs and look like an individual instead of Paris's second sister.

Are you obsessed with celebrity looks? Do you take style tips from gossip mags? Or are you fed up with what's on offer most of the time? Leave a comment and let me know!

Notes on Glossy Paper

Pics courtesy of asos.com

Tuesday, 7 August 2007

Evan Almighty is Alrighty

I had a bit of a blonde moment upon entering the cinema yesterday afternoon for the preview screening of Evan Almighty. As the film began and I saw Steve Carell sharing a spot at the news desk with the same female co anchor from Bruce Almighty, and realising that Morgan Freeman was also starring in this film, I finally clicked that this was a sequel. Yes, dumb I know. Especially since I only just rented Bruce Almighty last weekend.

Anyway, if you've seen the Jim Carrey version, you'll know what type of plot to expect from this one. God is out to teach Evan (Steve Carell) a very special lesson. And in this film, whatever you ask for, you shall receive.

Evan Baxter is a successful Congressman who has his life turned upside down when he asks God to help him change the world. Now God wants him to build an ark. And he's serious. As more and more animals start following Evan, and his beard becomes impossible to shave off, he gives in and begins to build the ark. His family, and the whole town, can't figure out if he's going through some kind of mid-life crisis, or if he really is on a mission from God!

This film is a bit more family orientated than the first, but still provides lots of laughs throughout, and a fuzzy feel-good message. It reminds us all that we can change the world a little at a time with random acts of kindness : )

Evan Almighty is in cinemas September 20.

Notes on Glossy Paper

Monday, 6 August 2007

My summer wish list (so far)


Original Le Specs by One Teaspoon sunnies in Candy Cartel.


Dress and denim vest from Just Jeans.


Birds of a Feather singlet from Australian Flavour.


Mother Maria denim skirt from Australian Flavour.


The Cassette Society tee from General Pants.

Did I mention I have a birthday coming up in two months? : )

Notes on Glossy Paper

PS I am going to a screening of Evan Almighty this afternoon and will have a review for you tomorrow - looks like it will be hilarious! I love Steve Carell : )

Friday, 3 August 2007

That's afrotastic!

I love a good musical. Give me singing and dancing any day over a gruesome thriller. Of course, every time I see a new musical, I feel somewhat sad that my dreams of becoming a musical star on Broadway never quite came to fruition (I don't think dancing the Can Can at the Brisbane Treasury Casino counts, although it was pretty fun at the time). Ever since Baz Luhrmann bought musicals back to the big screen with Moulin Rouge (good on ya Baz), there have been some amazing musical films released. Not having seen Hairspray the musical, or the original film, I have nothing to compare this updated version to, but all I can say is, wow.


It has a stellar cast including Michelle Pfeiffer (I can only dream of looking that hot at her age), John Travolta as Edna Turnblad (absoutley hilarious, though the role does nothing to dispel those gay rumours), Christopher Walken (you know he can move - you saw him in Fatboy Slim's film clip), Queen Latifah, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Elijah Kelley, Alison Janney, Amanda Bynes (lovely girl), Zac Efron (of High School Musical fame) and newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy.


The cute storyline follows Tracy's dreams of one day becoming a dancer on the Corny Collins show - the hippest show on TV! It's the '60s, a time of segregation between blacks and whites on TV, and when being different made you an outsider. After her unsuccessful attempt to audition for the show, repulsing the stuck up producer, and former Miss Baltimore, Velma Von Tussle (Pfeiffer), with her weight and positive view towards integration, Tracy returns to school and discovers a whole new groove with the "coloured" kids in detention. The kids sure can dance!



When Corny Collins sees Tracy's new moves, she's whisked onto the show and becomes a star, much to the disgust of Velma and her prodigal daughter, Amber. But Tracy decides it's not fair that the black kids only get to dance on the show once a month, and along with her best friend Penny (Bynes), heartthrob Link Larkin (Efron), Seaweed (Kelley), Motormouth Maybelle (Latifah) and her larger than life mother (Travolta), she's going to make a difference!

With big cheesy musical numbers throughout and some of the "grooviest" dances you've ever seen, Hairpray is an uplifing, happy hit. Go and see it when it's released on September 13 : )



Notes on Glossy Paper

Images courtesy of imdb.com

Mary-Kate looks amazing!


Am commiting this outfit to memory for my next shopping trip.


And how pretty is her hair and make up!? Such a good departure from her gothic rags and pouty smirk.

Notes on Glossy Paper

Thursday, 2 August 2007

Have you had your shot?

I took myself up to the medical centre at lunch time to get my cervical cancer vaccine (no, it didn't hurt), and I urge you all to do the same if you haven't already. The vaccine is only free for this year and next, and available for girls aged 12-26 (up until you turn 27). You'll receive a course of three injections over a six month period.

The vaccine protects women against certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which are known to cause 7 out of 10 cases of cervical cancer. It is estimated that 80% of the adult population will be exposed to HPV at some time in their life. And there are usually no symptoms.

As someone who had an abnormal pap smear two and a half years ago, and had to undergo surgery to remove part of my cervix, I can tell you that this vaccine is the best news for young girls. So go out and get yourself vaccinated now! And remember to keep up regular pap smears (every two years).

Notes on Glossy Paper

Wednesday, 1 August 2007

Cool website


Be inspired without leaving the office, with My Lookbook. You can flip through the pages of the online "magazine" (really just a collection of images from the individual designer's websites) and then click on the image to be taken to the relevant website to find out more. Cute!

Notes on Glossy Paper

Thanks to Girlfriend magazine for the tip off!

What can't Gwen do?

Fashionista has a whisper... of ex-Jane mag editor Jane Pratt teaming up with the mutli-talented Gwen Stefani to bring out a new magazine for teens and 20-somethings. Could it be true? It just may be the start of something very cool : )

Check out the full story!

Notes on Glossy Paper