The art of shopping

I sometimes feel like I have lost the art of shopping. It seems awfully rusty having not been accustomed to the cardio of sweeping through shops and the navigation of which labels are positioned in the malls. What one does nowadays when hitting the shops instead of clicking on buttons in Jammies in front of your computer.

Well, @Jay2DaL had to go dress shopping (isn't that the best kind?) for a couple of weddings this month. And so the weekend begins somewhat like this: You wake up and you put on your shopping outfit. Something that's easy to slip in and out off. Something that it stylish and yet comfortable and weather friendly.

I settled on a Kookai top with the shoulder flower details, my new silk Witchery Maxi skirt and Novo Gladiator sandals and my Rebecca Minkoff bag that allows me easy access to my things and still be able to have my hands free for rifling through racks.

We then set off and have lunch after finding parking in the city. There are plenty of flat rate parks on the weekends and the Cinema Centre carpark is only $10 for the whole day. Lunch wasconvenient and cheap, under $10 at Mappen the Japanese self-service noodle bar.

Then we were ready to shop. Quite unsure of where to begin to find the best dresses of the season, we looked in QVB where the dresses we thought we liked were full of inapropriately placed cutouts or slits. But here's a gem we found with simple, modern retro designs that are classy and still on-trend. We bought the clothes entusiastically as they were well made pieces with a soft, feminine fit and very reasonable prices.(30% store opening discount did help too I suppose).

Zeitgeist viscose pants (new purchase) teamed with Zara singlet and Rory Beca lace Blazer

Wayne by Wayne Cooper dress teamed with Tory Burch Red Patent belt

At the crazy Myer one day sale where 30% to 40% was being offered on most labels off the rack. This charcoal capped-sleeves Wayne Cooper dress is one size too big and missing its belt, but at a quarter of its original price (and the mentality that I'll eventually grow into it one day) the dress was too good to give it a miss and so it came home with me.

What we also got to sample today but didn't buy because they've sold out was the Misscha Super Aqua Snail cream, a cell-renewing formula made of snail slime. A big rave at the moment apparently, and I'd give it a go one day I think.

Things I had to remind myself of whilst shopping again was to check how many items one was allowed in the fitting rooms, to take with you other accessories/ items of clothing to pair with the one that were trying on so that you can see what the end result looks like and to check whether there were special sales on in the major departmental stores instead of the boutiques as you could get the same things for cheaper just because. Also, discovering gift cards in your jam-packed wallet is always a really pleasant surprise at the checkout counter and finding clothes that fit you well before handing over the cash is the bonus, instant satisfaction compared to the long, drawn-out experience of online shopping.


What about you? Do you still appreciate the traditional methods of shopping anymore?

 

La Rosa Bar & Pizza

Well if there hasn't been a week of drinking like this one. We began on Tuesday with the flow of Melbourne Cup Day bubbles and wine and I've been drinking every night since then as we had travelled for work and that always involves a tipple of two.

The last drinks to end the tumultous work week though were these pretty cocktails with @Jay2DaL at La Rosa Bar & Pizza on level 3 of The Strand Arcade. A bustling pizzeria in the heart of the city and a very lovely way to end the week.

There has been a seamless process to book this table. The staff engages very attentively to the booking process and remembers every single request made, including one that asked for the centerpiece table in the restaurant. The one under the chandelier:

 These were the pretty cocktails we had:

La Rosa Rosolio- La Rosa Rose Cocktail

 A sourish refreshing gin-based cocktail. Girly enough to look pretty but strong enough to lift the spirits.

Espresso alla Liquerizia Martini-Espresso & Liquorice Martini

 A sweet coffee martini that is that awesome wake-me-up from a long day at work.

 We started with some shared entrees and that included a selection of cured meats with Grissini, bread and Olives. The Wild Boar sausage was divine and definitely more-ish.

Mains were also great sharing plates too. Of particular enjoyment were the pizzas and pastas:


 

Spaghettini with Braised Chicken and Rosemary   

Prawns, Zucchini, Tomato, Mozzarella and Garlic

Rigatoni Pasta with Prawns, Minced Calamari, Olives & Chilli 

 Everything was of the right flavours, fresh and beautifully seasoned. I didn't have to even use any of the Chilli oil or Parmesan cheese that was brought to the table. Pastas were the right kind of al dente and the seafood was perfectly cooked. We certainly didn't mind overloading on the carbs that night. I must say though, one does fill up really quickly on the pizzas as they are quite sizeable ones. It is truly difficult to restrain I know when the Mushroom pizza comes highly recommended too.

Zeppola - Traditional Potato Dough Doughnuts with Vanilla Bean Gelato   

A lovely way to end off the evening was a small Potato Doughnut steeped in Caramel sauce. Sickly sweet and so sinful, but we've got the sunny weekend to work it off, that's alright.

Food Society in Darlinghurst

The casual dining experience we had this weekend was meant to showcase Modern Eastern European cuisine, paired with an excellent wine list and infused spirits. Having never been to Eastern Europe, it was hard to judge the authenticity of the good, but boards and plates of familiar foods with foreign names throughout the night did not fail to impress, so for the group menu, $55 per pax spent, we all went away with satisfied tums. Here's some of the food we savored:




Mamaliga chips with smoked paprika salt and spicy ajvar were polenta fried chips with a delicious relish that had the flavors of the spice but packed no heat. It was a delicious dish to begin the meal with certainly.




Fried cauliflower with paprika, parsley, watercress and
red wine vinegar. Whoever turns down fried cauliflower must be a fool. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside- Its yumminess trumps the void of nutritional value.




Pierogi of pork belly with speck, apple cider vinegar and chervil. A tough ravioli- like dumpling. I'd much prefer the thinner texture of Italian pasta, but this al dente dumpling was full of bite and with its pulled pork filling, definitely better than the floury dumplings I have had in goulash, so whilst I won't be rushing back for this, it didn't detract from the great menu at all either.




Twice cooked lamb ribs with sliced potatoes, tomato,
eggplant and rosemary. Lamb that just falls of the bone and is seated on a bed of vegetables, the dish is very substantial and is good comfort food for the cold as I'd imagine this'll be a dinner favourite for the harsh winters in Eastern Europe.




Grilled cuttlefish on squid ink risotto and parmesan. I think most people get squeamish with squid ink food. And rightfully so, it is black and uninviting. But the taste of the sea is embodied into this risotto and paired with the burst of tart cherry tomatoes, its acids cuts through the salt and makes the entire dish an interesting party in your mouth.

We paired all that delicious food and more with bottles of 2006 tin shed 'three vines' mourvedre/shiraz/grenache from barossa, known for their soft reds.

It was truly a delightful experience. The bare wooden tables almost makes you feel like you are sitting at a Polish grandma's kitchen bench and getting fed honest wholesome cooking with great company.

Although this part is one I am not sure Grandma would ever serve: the restaurant serves vodka straight in little carafes, on ice or over ice with lime. And the specialty vodkas are either infused or flavored. One potato vodka really stood out from the list, but at 30-40% alcohol and the fact that I was driving myself home, I really had to pass. We bought the birthday boy a shot and it got served with a cherry tomato as its chaser. He says it burns. But it was really good vodka all the same.

The place is easy to like. The service is relaxed yet attentive. And it's got a bar that's opened till quite late. I am definitely gonna have a vodka the next time I am back there.

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The Little Black Jacket Exhibition - Sydney

Last Saturday began with a lovely little Chanel exhibition. Mallhaciel invited me to go check this out with her, an exhibition that she has been absolutely dying to see and as I do love it when fashion meets art, I did not hesitate to say yes. The most difficult part of the outing really was what to wear as I did not own many Chanel items. It all boiled down to this one piece.

and a black tweed jacket I purchased from Ally's for $40 for my 'very Chanel' look. Of course Chanel makeup was in order too. Eye-cream, Powder, lip-liner and lipstick the rest of the look was Burberry and Dior, Oh I cheat.

It is a beautiful place, the Pier. Just remember to avoid wearing heels cause it gets stuck in the gaps in the floor. Walking in from the sunlight into the dimly lit exhibition space was daunting at first, but the excitement got us over that really quickly.

The first and last piece of the show that I saw was a series of stills of Yoko Ono with a video of her posing for the shots, shot from Karl Lagerfield's iPhone. It was meant to be an interpretive dance, her take on her life. And it was mesmerising. Poignantly tragic, but like a car accident, you were drawn to it and couldn't turn away from watching. Tragedy and Art goes well together.

If you go, you have the option of receiving any of Theophilus London, Astrid Berges Frisbey, Anna Mouglalis, Elle Fanning's posters to take with you. A little reminder that you were part of this exhibition. And they are generous gifts. I really appreciated getting mine as I had to brighten up the teenage boys' room I currently live in somehow (the posters below covered up theirs of Cars and NBA players) instead of removing their childhood memorabilia.

Mallhaciel's got a way better and more informational post than mine. I only tagged along to have a good time. But after work, whilst the sun's still up, or this weekend, why not stroll over to enjoy this?

Exhibition information:

PIER 2/3

13 HICKSON ROAD

WALSH BAY

SYDNEY NSW 2000

11AM - 7PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION: + (61) 2 9900 2910

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The perfect Asian smokey eye

The night before at the Big week of beauty Burberry event, we met Wayland who promised us the perfect Asian smokey eye. As you can imagine, with that promise, we were very happy to visit the counter again the next day.


Tada! It is a darker shade for a real glam look, but the same technique can be used with a very sheer pink shimmer shade to enhance the size of the Asian almond shaped eye.




The instruction class was part of the VIP gift with purchase which incorporated a complimentary Makeup masterclass, if you go, do make an appointment with Wayland at the Burberry beauty counter, he is fantastic with colour matching and makeup tips and tricks. I learnt so much from him this weekend refining my makeup application technique (which are so antique now as they were learnt from magazines from when I was a teenager).




We went home with a personalized face chart each, ours were the Burberry iconic looks and I must say that there are two products on here that I would love to own some day. Burberry's sheer foundation that gives awesome coverage but doesn't even feel like its there! And the gold gloss, it's so luxurious having it on my lips- both the look and its feel.




If you compared the eyes (both mine of course) on the top, the technique on the left was done by another makeup artist for an evening out. But contrast that with Wayland's technique on the right, Observe how my eye really pops and is better accentuated on the left, which is the real difference between using techniques that suit and don't suit the shape of your eye.

The clouding technique is the secret. Deposit the eye shadow colour very close to the upper lash line and then blend it upwards on your eye like painting little clouds of smoke to create a gradual effect. The last touch is to accentuate the bottom outer corners of your eye with a little bit of eyeshadow just to add depth to the eye.

It's harder to describe really, the best way is to head down to David Jones Burberry beauty counter and ask to be shown your personalized Burberry iconic look!

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