Blake by Jeff Slater

Jeff Slater Studio

Not for or Against

Titel: Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire) / Not for or Against / Varken eller
Genre: Kriminaldrama
Land: Frankrike
År: 2002
Regi: Cédric Klapisch
I rollerna: Marie Gillain, Vincent Elbaz, Zinedine Soualem, Diane Kruger

Handling: Caty är en ung kamerakvinna som lever ett tråkigt liv ensam i storstaden. Hon kommer på kollisionskurs med ett gäng småbrottslingar som ägnar sig åt beväpnade rån. Mot alla odds dras hon till dessa trots allt sympatiska killar, till deras livsstil och pengarna. Snart hamnar hon i ett moraliskt dilemma...

Omdöme: Denna lilla franska film följer ett gäng brottslingar som av okänd anledning vill ha en kameraman som dokumenterar deras nästa stöt. Ledaren för gänget är Jean (Vincent Elbaz) som får träffa kamerakvinnan Caty (Marie Gillain) som lever ensam och behöver pengar. Gänget kan erbjuda henne snabba pengar och hon ser det inte som något problem, tvärtom ser hon sin chans att få lite spänning i sitt liv. Detta kan låta konstigt och med tanke på att man inte förklarar varför så blir det också det.



Med denna introduktion till gänget kommer hon in i deras verksamhet och får vara med på deras stora stöt där hon kommer att spela en stor roll. Risken är större, men belöningen är på minst fem miljoner euro per person. Det är ingen extraordinär film på något vis, men man får en för tillfället sevärd liten film. Något man lyckats ganska bra med är blandningen mellan det lite lättsammare och att slå till med kraft när det behövs. Och Marie Gillain påminner en del om karaktären i Nikita (1990) när man kommer längre in i filmen.



3 - Skådespelare
2 - Handling
3 - Känsla
3 - Musik
3 - Foto
--------------
14 - Totalt

Betyg:
IMDb: 6.6

The Expendables

Titel: The Expendables
Genre: Action/Thriller
Land: USA
År: 2010
Regi: Sylvester Stallone
I rollerna: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li

Handling: Ett team av världens farligaste och mest välutbildade soldater åker till Sydamerika för att störta en mäktig, ond diktator och hans armé, som har orsakat förödelse, kaos och tortyr under de senaste tjugo åren.

Omdöme: Att ta med avdankade skådespelare vars karriärer behöver en skjuts är något Tarantino oftast brukar lyckas med. Stallone däremot har inte riktigt samma fingertoppskänsla och har inte heller något vidare manus att jobba med. Jag förväntade mig inte någon superbra film, men en ganska underhållande sådan hoppades jag på. Det hela blir dock till en stor soppa som varken bjuder på underhållning eller något annat värt att se filmen för.



Den enda som verkligen försöker och passar i sin roll är Eric Roberts som den stora skurken som den utsända gruppen med Stallone vill komma åt. Sly Stallone borde egentligen kallas "Dry Stallone" för han är verkligen en stel skådespelare. Dolph Lundgren har en lite roligare roll att spela och man kan jämföra honom med karaktären Jaws från Bond - stor, korkad och med en del humor. Mickey Rourke vet vi kan agera, men hans karaktär är helt onödig, precis som det mesta med filmen. Och Jet Li, hur kunde han bli skådespelare i Hollywood ? Usel engelska och kan inte agera för fem öre.



Actionsekvenserna trappas upp allt eftersom, men det blir verkligen bara kaka på kaka och man orkar inte bry sig efter ett tag. Filmen har otroligt lite charm, men bjuder på en del korkade och roliga repliker. Men dialogen är inget att hänga i julgranen, den liksom handlingen är verkligen så kass den kan bli. Man vet exakt vad man får och det kanske tilltalar yngre tonåringar, men vill man se en bra film av vilket slag som helst, ja då får man leta vidare för det här är i mina ögon näst intill en kalkonrulle.

1 - Skådespelare
1 - Handling
2 - Känsla
3 - Musik
2 - Foto
--------------
9 - Totalt

Betyg:
IMDb: 7.4

Calling All Fellow Self Tan Addicts

I just wanted to do a quick post about a great website I found today called TheTantalist.com.  It's a website that was started by James Read, an A-List self tanning expert who works as an international spray tan artist for St Tropez, working with the likes of Lady GaGa, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Rosie Huntington-Whitely.  He is big news in the world of self tanning so the guy knows what he's talking about!

James Read has a salon called 'Agua' at the Sanderson hotel in London and he has been known to shave off 10lbs just by his skillful use of a spray tan applicator! If only we all had him on stand-by, we'd be sorted!

The website is dedicated to sharing info about self tanning...from the best products to use, to trends and tricks, to interviews with top makeup artists like Laura Mercier on how to best enhance your tan with makeup.  The beauty blogging community is so saturated with info about self tanning products that you may already know alot of the techniques and tricks but it's always good to get someone else's take on it, especially when they are a pro likes James Read!

There's even a section called 'Tantone' where it provides a guide on which on-trend nail varnish colours will suit your skintone.  Something which I never considered before but it makes sense when you think about it!

One of the best tips I ever picked up was that it's best to use gradual tanner on your hands and feet when you are self tanning with darker products like St Tropez or Xen Tan.  This gives the most natural colour and doesn't leave any dark patches on your wrists and knuckles.

You can never have too much knowledge when it comes to self tan because it can make the difference between looking patchy and un-natural and looking fabulous.

Do you have any self tanning tips you want to share?

A Few Products I Have Been Loving Lately

Lately I have very much been shying away from wearing black khol or liquid liner during the day as I feel like it's a bit too much at the moment.  I prefer to keep it to dramatic night-time looks.  I really do go through phases of liking different things and at the moment my favourite daytime makeup is finished off with brown, bronze, smokey grey or navy blue eyeliner.  My favourite eyeliners have always been those of a gel consistency and these Clinique Brush-On Cream Liners are hitting the spot.  Getting a liner with the right consistency is very tough because it has to be fluid enough to go on smoothly but viscose enough to adhere to the eyelid, not smudge and have decent staying power.  Using the Clinique cream liners was a bit difficult at first because I was so accustomed to using the MAC Fluidlines which as we all know start to dry up a little bit over the months. 

The Clinique cream liners are alot softer in texture so you need to perfect the application.

Once you have that down, you're flying to be honest.  The Black one is probably the truest, 'blackest' liner I own and it really makes a great impact when you are doing intense, night time looks.  The Smoke Grey shade is a browny grey, almost like a taupe colour.  It's the perfect understated daytime liner to add a bit of definition without looking too made up.  I always think it's really flattering when other girls feel the need to ASK if you're wearing makeup!  I always reply with "I wish I looked like this with no makeup on!".  They come with small application brushes but I didn't think much of these as the fibres were quite splayed out so they were too fiddly to use in the end and didn't give the precise line I was looking for.  I would stick to using the MAC or Bobbi Brown fine eyeliner brushes as you get alot more control using them.  These cream liners have good staying power and didn't smudge on me at all (please note that I only wear eyeliner on my top lashline - I never wear it on my waterline or lower lashline).  The Smoke Grey shade is really unique and lately, it has become my go-to liner every day.  Have you tried these? What's your opinion on them?

I have been on the search for a good powder to bring around with me in my bag and so far, this Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder is my fave.  It's super compact and slim packaging is perfect for slipping into your mini makeup bag.  I don't know about you guys, but I don't go anywhere without powder, lipstick and lip gloss.  This neutral shade is perfect for my skintone, it blends in seamlessly and leaves a really nice, natural finish.  I can't stand powders that are visible on the skin and look cakey.  After applying this powder in the morning over my foundation, it lasts a good 6-7 hours before I have to touch it up.  My skin is combination and I get shiny on my T-Zone so it's perfect for keeping my skin from looking sweaty or greasy.  I must say that I'm not overly keen on the green marbled effecton the packaging but I can forgive that since the product inside is great.  Apparently this is the most popular powder that Clinique make and I can see why. 

As you guys know, my wedding makeup artist, Suzanne, used the Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter as a gloss on me and it gave me the perfect touch of juicy colour.  I wasn't convinced the shade would suit me as it's brighter than what I normally wear but the shade is surprisingly wearable!  I LOOOOOVE these Korres Lip Butters, I also have the Guava and Jasmine ones for a more natural lip.  The guava one is perfect to apply over any lipstick to pale it out slightly and give your lips a gorgeous sheen.  The Jasmine one is a perfect every day natural pink shade for that 'my lips but better' effect.  They leave my lips so soft and smooth and I adore the scent of all of them.  They last for ages even when you use them every day so in my opinion, they are definitely worth the money.

I really like using chunky eye crayons to get a smudged, laid back effect and this Jemma Kidd Iridescent Eye Silk Crayon in Tigers Eye is gorgeous! It has slight shimmer in it so it gives a really glamorous look to your eyes.  The shade is a perfect chocolate brown with bronzey gold reflects that catch the light beautifully.  It's super smooth to apply and doesn't drag on the delicate skin on your eyelids.  Don't expect to get a precision application with this product, it's definitely meant for slapping on and smudging in.  I love working it into my lashline and blending it with a cotton bud to get a really pretty un-done look.

This Jemma Kidd Ultimate Lip Care Protect & Shimmer in Rose is a really natural, glossy product that is definitely more in the lip balm category than the lipstick one.  It's for those days when you want to look polished but in the most natural way.  I love the pretty pink packaging and the shade Rose is a really lovely natural pink that would be perfect over something like MAC Hue.  The best thing about these kind of products is that they are caring for your lips as well as making your lips look luscious. 

I love the smokey eye look but because my eyes are deep set, I have to be really careful about the colours I use so as not to make my eyes look too heavy or tired.  I generally avoid pure black and go for Grey, Brown, Dark Purple and Bronze.  This Givenchy Le Prisme eyeshadow palette in Midnight Look is perfect for creating a softer navy smokey eye.  The shades of blue in this palette are absolutely beautiful and have the prettiest sheen to them.  The eyeshadows themselves have great pigmentation and are really smooth with no gritty glitter pieces.  The palette has a bottom drawer that slides out to reveal three applicators but these aren't ideal for applying the shadows but they would be ok for touching up the makeup when you're on the go.  I always feel that you have to be cautious with blue eyeshadow because if you get the wrong shade, it can look tacky.  However, the shades in this palette are spot on because they are slightly metallic and verging on being silvery blues.

Are you a fan of smokey eyes or do you prefer to keep it more toned down? What products do you rate for creating a dramatic eye?

NSFW | Poetry | Eskimo Nell

As I am feeling incredibly ill today (cue sympathetic sigh) I shall let that most revered of anonymous poets do the talking for me.

If you have not read it before, then please, spend the next 5 minutes enjoying the filthiest poem I have ever read.

Phil Brown
Poetry Editor


Eskimo Nell 

Authorship unknown

When a man grows old and his balls grow cold And the end of his knob turns blue, When it's bent in the middle like a one-string fiddle, He can tell a tale or two. So find me a seat and stand me a drink And a tale to you I'll tell, Of Dead-Eye Dick and Mexican Pete, And the gentle Eskimo Nell. When Dead-Eye Dick and Mexican Pete Go out in search of fun, It's Dead-Eye Dick who wields the prick And Mexican Pete the gun. And when Dead-Eye Dick and Mexican Pete Are sore depressed and mad, 'Tis mostly cunt that bears the brunt, So the shooting ain't so bad. Now Dead-Eye Dick and Mexican Pete Had been hunting in Dead Man's Creek, And they'd had no luck in the way of a fuck For nigh on half a week. Just a moose or two, a caribou, And a bison cow or so, And for Dead-Eye Dick with his kingly prick This fucking was mighty slow. So do or dare this horny pair Set out for the Rio Grande, Dead-Eye Dick with his muscular prick And Pete with his gun in hand. They blazed away on their randy way, No man their fire withstood, And many a bride who was hubby's pride Knew pregnant widowhood. They made the strand of the Rio Grande At the height of a blazing noon, And to slake their thirst and do their worst They sought Black Mike's saloon. As they crashed their way through the big swing doors Both prick and gun flashed free, "According to sex, you bleeding wrecks You drinks or fucks with me." Now they knew this trick of Dead-Eye Dick From the Horn to Panama, And with nothing worse than a muttered curse Those cowhands sought the bar. The women too knew his playful ways Down on the Rio Grande, And forty whores took down their draws At Dead-Eye Dick's command. They saw the fingers of Mexican Pete Twitch on the trigger grip, 'Twas death to wait, at a fearful rate Those whores began to strip. Now Dead-Eye Dick was breathing quick With lecherous snorts and grunts, As forty arses were bared to view To say nothing of forty cunts. Now forty arses and forty cunts You'll see if you use your wits And rattle a bit at arithmetic – That's likewise eighty tits. And eighty tits is a gladsome sight For a man with a raging stand, They may be rare in Berkeley Square, But not on the Rio Grande. Now Dead-Eye Dick had fucked a few The last preceding night, But this he had done by way of fun Just to whet his appetite. His phallic limb was in fighting trim So he backed and took a run: He made a dart at the nearest tart And scored a bull in one. He bore her to the sandy floor And fucked her deep and fine, And although she grinned it put the wind Up the other thirty-nine. Now Dead-Eye Dick he fucks 'em quick, And flinging the first aside, He was making a jump at the second cunt When the swing doors opened wide. And into that hall of sin and vice – Into that harlot's hell Strode a gentle maid who was unafraid, Her name was Eskimo Nell. Now Dead-Eye Dick had got his prick Well into number two When Eskimo Nell let out a yell And shouted "Hey there, you!" He gave a flick of his mighty prick, And the tart flew over his head, He turned about with a snarling shout, Both eyes and knob were red. With a lustful leer he said "Look here Just get into the queue, I've got to mate with thirty-eight Before I get to you." But Eskimo Nell she stood it well And looked him in the eyes, With the utmost scorn she glimpsed the horn That rose from his hairy thighs. She blew a puff from her cigarette Onto his steaming knob, So utterly beat was Mexican Pete He forgot to do his job. Eskimo Nell then broke the spell In accents calm and cool: "You cunt-struck shrimp of a yankee pimp It's Eskimo Nell's not yours." She shed her garments one by one With an air of conscious pride, And as she stood in her womanhood, They saw the great divide. She laid right down on the table top Where someone had laid a glass, With a twitch of her tits she crushed it to bits Between the cheeks of her arse. She bent her knees with supple ease And opened her legs apart, With a final nod to the randy sod She gave him the cue to start. Now Dead-Eye Dick knew another trick And meant to save his powers, For if he'd a mind he could stand a grind For a couple of solid hours. So Dead-Eye Dick with his king of a prick Prepared to take his time, For a girl like this was fucking bliss So he staged a pantomime. He winked his arsehole in and out And made his balls inflate, Till they looked like a couple of granite globes On top of a garden gate. He rubbed his foreskin up and down, His knob increased in size, His mighty prick grew twice as thick And almost reached his eyes. He polished his knob with rum and gob To make it steaming hot, And to finish the job he sprinkled his knob With a cayenne pepper pot. He didn't back to take a run, Nor yet a flying leap, He didn't swoop but seemed to stoop And advanced with a steady creep. Then he took a sight as a gunman might Along his mighty tool, And shoved his lust with a dextrous thrust – Firm, calculating and cool. Have you ever seen the pistons On a giant C.P.R. With a driving force of a thousand horse, Then you know what pistons are. Or you think you do, but you've yet to learn The awe-inspiring trick, Of the work that's done on a non-stop run By a man like Dead-Eye Dick. But Eskimo Nell was an infidel, With a really tough construction With the strength of ten in her abdomen And a paralysing suction. Amidships she could stand the rush Like the flush of a water closet, So she grasped his cock like a Chatwood lock On a national safe deposit. She lay for a while with a subtle smile While the grip of her cunt grew keener, Then giving a sigh she sucked him dry With the ease of a vacuum cleaner. She performed this feat in a way so neat As to set at complete defiance The primary cause and the basic laws That govern sexual science. She calmly rode through the phallic code That for years had stood the test, And the ancient rule of the classic school In a moment or two went west. And now my friend, we draw to an end Of the copulating epic, The effect on Dick was sudden and quick And akin to anaesthetic. He slipped to the floor and knew no more His passions extinct and dead He didn't shout as his tool came out It was stripped down to a thread. Mexican Pete he sprang to his feet, To avenge his pal's affront, With a fearful jolt he drew his colt And rammed it up her cunt. He shoved it up to the trigger grip And fired two times three, But to his surprise she rolled her eyes And smiled in ecstasy. She leaped to her feet with a smile so sweet, "Bully for you" she cried, "That pistol shot was the best of the lot, At last I'm satisfied." "I thought you jerks could give me the works" She said in accents cool, "But I guess I must go to the land of the snow To find a man with a tool. "I'm going back to the frozen north, To a land where spunk is spunk, Not a turgid stream of lukewarm cream But a solid frozen chunk. "Back to the land where they understand What it means to fornicate, Where even the dead sleep two in a bed And the infants copulate. "Back to the land of the mighty stand, Where the nights are six months long, Where the polar bear wanks in his lair, That's where they'll sing this song. "They'll tell this tale on the artic trail Where the nights are sixty below, Where it's so damn cold, French letters are sold Wrapped in a ball of snow. "In the valley of death with baited breath It's there we'll sing it too, Where the skeletons rattle in sexual battle And the mouldering corpses screw. "So when next your friend and you intend To sally forth for fun, Buy Dead-Eye Dick a sugar stick And get yourself a bun." 'I'm going back to the frozen north,  where the pricks are hard and strong: 'back to the land of the all-night stand- where the nights are six months long. 'Where you get it in bits as hard as tin  in the land where spunk is spunk- 'Not a trickling stream of lukewarm cream,  but a solid frozen chunk. 'Back to the land where they understand  what it is to copulate; 'Where even the dead lie two in a bed  and the infants masturbate. And there I’ll spend a worthy end  for the North is calling me, And good luck and a fuck is all I ask  from the fate befalling me.

River Viiperi

The Presence of Absence

The Presence of Absence

Everybody Loves Chili

Red Hot Chili Pepper

Another helping of Chili? HERE

and HERE

Charges being pressed by Mizzou woman

The Columbia Missourian reports that a Mizzou football player is being investigated by the prosecutor's office. The player, D. Washington, was not at the final MU practice, open to the public. This report evokes the realization that fall is here and the cases begin again.

First of all, everyone, get right, stop all your messin, live like everybody's watching-- and
 if you are in this day and age a super-trusting person, get educated and be careful.

The Airspace Around Us

It is nice living in 3-D. Click to enlarge...

Sky on Fire

Blue Ring Around the Moon

Last Night's Moon

A Country Air Road

Last Night's Moon

 TO THE MOON

Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth,
And ever changing, like a Joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

By Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

The Indian Serenade

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

I arise from dreams of thee

In the first sweet sleep of night,

When the winds are breathing low,

And the stars are shining bright.

I arise from dreams of thee,

And a spirit in my feet

Has led me-who knows how? -

To thy chamber-window, sweet!

The wandering airs they faint

On the dark, the silent stream,-

The champak odors fail

Like sweet thoughts in a dream;

The nightingale's complaint,

It dies upon her heart,

As I must die on thine,

O, beloved as thou art!

O, lift me from the grass!

I die, I faint, I fail!

Let thy love in kisses rain

On my lips and eyelids pale.

My cheek is cold and white, alas!

My heart beats loud and fast:

Oh! press it close to thine again,

Where it will break at last!

more moons HERE

Glenn Beck and the Mainstream Media: After the Rally

My friends and some family along the east coast sent some reports about the Restoring Honor Rally in DC. Friend says, half a million there.
I remember once, Jim Lehrer came to K-State and spoke about the need for strict, professional reporting that allows viewers to see the basics and make decisions on the facts.
That came to mind when an irritated blogger friend sent this:   Media Shovels Viewers Away

 So-exactly what is it about glenn beck that is scaring people?

Glenn Beck and family pic from adoption website



Glenn Beck Rally

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/28/glenn-beck-restoring-honor-rally-draws-tens-of-thousands-to-na/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-deggans/the-genius-of-glenn-beck_b_699147.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/alveda-king-speaks-glenn-becks-dc-rally/story?id=11504453

Glenn Beck Baby Pic

Live Performance | Mixtape | Mixtape XI, by Cypress Grove

Music As Reading: Mixtape XI, by Cypress Grove

Right now I can’t read too good
Don’t send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row.

*Cypress Grove is the man responsible for this year’s most interesting collection of songs that aren’t his own – a king among mixtape-makers, then.

*That it also represented a heartfelt paean to a king among music-makers is not particularly surprising – the role of the mixtape-maker is to draw as much attention as possible to others’ talents, not one’s own.
Basically, you could say his imagination has made him on of the best-connected men in music.

*And he’s already started putting together a new Jeffrey Lee Pierce tribute record which, I gather, is going to feature contributions from an even more compelling array of musicians than appeared on the first. Can’t tell you who though. Sorry.

*So we very much wanted to get his take on the Music As Reading project before he got too knee-deep in superstars. Being the resolutely cool guy that he is, he even made sure his choices would fit on one side of a C60.

(Cypress’ tracklist is, due to the same Spotify shortcomings as were brought to our attention last week (no BPB – and no Dylan either, turns out) our second YouTube Mixtape. Click on the individual track-title for audio/video. So as to provide some Spotify content though, here’s a link to a playlist containing both We Are Only Riders, Cypress’ remarkable take on the compilation record (also purchasable, obvs – on Glitterhouse Records) and the man who inspired that record, Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s most important achievement, the Gun Club’s first album, Fire Of Love. For a brief introduction to what We Are Only Riders actually was/is, along with some of Cypress’ thoughts regarding compilations/mixtapes/etc. I’d recommend going here.)

The Ghost Of Tom Joad – Bruce Springsteen
From the album of the same name. We had to read The Grapes Of Wrath at school. It was the first piece of American literature I had read, which in turn made me seek out the music of Woody Guthrie, and traditional American music in general. I owe that book a great debt. Brilliantly evocative and “dustbowly”, it is similar in tone to Nebraska, an album that Springsteen had recorded a few years earlier, which is probably his masterwork.

Desolation Row – Bob Dylan
Name checks for Ezra Pound and T.S Elliot – and Ophelia also gets a look in. Probably a stream of consciousness affair, but the imagery is dazzling. An unparalleled moment of truth from Bobby.

Ulalume – Jeff Buckley
Hal Wilner (who produced this) is of course known for his unlikely collaborations, and they don’t come much more unlikely than Edgar Allan Poe and Jeff Buckley. With bereavement at its core, it was a central theme for them both.

Tied And Twist – Lydia Lunch
As well as being a musician, Lydia is, of course, a writer. We met up for a drink recently and she brought me a copy of her book Amnesia. As the evening wore on, I started ranting about something entirely inconsequential. She listened patiently, then picked up the book and wrote in it ‘learn to forget.’ Best advice I have ever been given. An excellent human being.

More News From Nowhere – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Another musician who is also a writer. He excels at both. He is the polymath’s polymath. The title is apparently a reference to the Utopian novel News From Nowhere by William Morris. Plus Will Self appears in the video, but more importantly Beth Orton appears as a waitress.

Killing An Arab – The Cure
Another song inspired by a novel – L’Etranger by Albert Camus. Robert Smith takes on the role of the title character (Meursault) during the book’s central episode – the apparently motiveless murder of an Arab man in Algiers.

Thousands Are Sailing – The Pogues
One of the few Pogues-composed songs that MacGowan had no hand in writing. This was written entirely by guitarist Phil Chevron. ‘In Brendan Behan’s footsteps, I danced up and down the street.’ The album artwork also features a picture of James Joyce.

The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash
As opening gambits go, reciting from the book of Revelation is a surefire attention-grabber. One of many apocalyptic biblical references scattered throughout the song. An end-of-time ballad if ever there was one.

Brother and Sister – The Gun Club
Well, it does have D.H. Lawrence Jr. (AKA Debbie Harry) on backing vocals!

Live Performance | Chapbook | Vol XXV, Art House & Semiology by Ken Champion

CLICK HERE TO READ

Vol XXV, Art House & Semiology

Ken Champion (27.8.10)



Two short stories from the excellent Ken Champion. It's been a while since we have had some prose but if we continue to get submissions of it as good as this you will be getting a lot more of it.

Sweetest Fridays

Oh, August...

It's good not be a chicken...HERE




But THIS IS THE LIFE.
Fresh happy farm free ranging chickens.  click to enlarge

Tasty Eggs Poster

Healthy Chickens Make Healthy Eggs

A/W Beauty Trends and a Clothes Haul

No Mascara
Ask any of your mates what they would take with them to a desert island and they will always mention the trusty tube of mascara.  Personally, I look like a pig without mascara because my eyelashes are blonde, not to mention my eyes look tiny without the essential definition of a flick of the magic wand.  The no mascara look has been all over the catwalks for the likes of Christopher Kane in favour of eyeliner or dark eyeshadow to define the eye area. 

I forgot to tell you guys about a story from the Borneo leg of the honeymoon...me and Chris decided to take a jet-ski out on the water.  It was the first time we had ever been on one so I was a bit nervous and also, I have a fear of the open sea so I definitely didn't want to fall in.  Everything was going really well until we got REALLY far from the shore, Chris made a sudden turn and I wasn't expecting it...I went head first into the water.  I kind of panicked a little bit just through the shock of it.  I got over it, don't worry.  BUT the thing I was shocked at was that I was wearing Lancome Hypnose Precious Cells Mascara which ISN'T waterproof but it completely survived me being dipped into the water! It didn't run even a little bit...now that's what you call staying power!

I won't be shunning my mascara any time soon, but are you brave enough to go without?

Matte Skin With A Luminous Finish
Everyone has their preference on the finish of their foundation and powder and in my mind, the finish I favour changes with the seasons.  In winter I like to go for a soft matte finish with a subtle luminosity underneath but for summer, I tend to use a more radiant/dewy finish foundation for a fresher look.  The trend for autumn/winter is a silky matte finish to the skin so something like YSL Teint Resist would be perfect.  I will definitely be breaking mine out when we're nearing the winter months.  What finish do you prefer?

Bold Brows
No so long ago it was the 'no brows' look that took over the catwalks, but now it's prominent brows that are in trend.  I must admit that I would NEVER blank out my brows under any circumstances because a) I would look ridiculous and b) my style isn't avande-gard enough to get away with it.  Common sense should always prevail over trends, it's always best to stick what suits you.  Brows are essential in framing your face and creating a good structure to your eye area.  Sometimes it's fun to play around with the shape of your brows, either making them more bold and natural or arched and dramatic.  If you aren't confident with drawing in your brows freehand, you can always use these Shavata Celebrity Eyebrow Stencil Kits:

So do you prefer thin manicured brows or 'bushy' natural ones?

Paired Down Nudes
From nude coloured nail polishes on the Dior catwalks to nude paired down makeup at Balmain, the makeup trend seems to be edging more and more towards naturally flattering shades of cream, beige and brown.  It's all about enhancing your natural beauty as opposed to changing it.  I have seen a plethora of nude nail varnishes from the likes of OPI and Chanel gracing many a blog lately but my favourite is still Hopelessly In Love by OPI. 

It's a perfect peachy based nude colour that looks slick, chic and very 'groomed' without looking like you're trying too hard.  Love it!  As for nude makeup, I have also been caught up in the lust fest that surrounds the new Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette...drool! 

It could just be THE perfect travelling companion! Hats off to Urban Decay for creating possibly the most usable eye palette on the market at the moment.

Contouring
Sculpting yourself a new set of cheekbones is terribly addictive and the slimming effect it has on your face is just plain fab! I always contour my cheekbones but I never bother with my jawline, temples/forehead or nose.  The look on the catwalks at the moment is full on strong contouring which looks amazing for a photoshoot but in real life, us girls have to be a bit more subtle with our fakery!  Go over the top with your contouring powder and you could begin to look false.  If you aren't too familiar with contouring but would like to give it a go, here's a great simple guide which highlights the areas you need to concentrate on:

My contour powder of choice is Sleeks Contour Kit (which also contains a highlighting powder) and I use an angled brush to lightly work it into the hollows of my cheeks:

 If you have a matte bronzer in your collection, then obviously this works a treat as well.  Something like Benefit Hoola or Dior Matte Sunshine would be perfect.

I just wanted to quickly share a clothes haul with you...there won't be any narrative, I will let the clothes speak for themselves:

                                                       Gladiator Sandles from Next:

Nude Patent Courts from Next: 

Aquamarine and gold cuff from Debenhams:

Pale Turqouise Silk Dress from Coast:

Statement Necklace from Coast:

Waterfall detail Black Blazer from Warehouse:

Pale Grey Cotton Vest with Chiffon Overlay from Warehouse:

 There were loads of sales on so I DEFINITELY took advantage!