Turning Japanese, I really think so.

My beautiful friends Pennie and Mark recently returned from an epic little trip to Japan. Along with some incredible stories and wicked photos (all of which make me want to travel there so badly!), Pennie arrived home with some gorgeous gifts for me. Before they left I may have put in a cheeky request for some false eyelashes (I've heard great things about Japanese falsies), but my dear friend went above and beyond, bringing me back a couple of other little treats as well. I realise some of these can be found here in Melbourne, but I think it's novel and marvellous to be given something that's been handpicked from a quirky shop in Harajuku.

So, if you'd like to have a little sticky beak - scroll on baby!

Fluttery lashes, hair candy and Disney?! Oh yes.

A Lolita-esque hair clip.

This is completely my taste. Girly, and just a little bit vintage. Unfortunately, the alligator clip on the back broke during transit. Nothing a hot glue gun can't fix though. Perhaps one of my favourite things about this gift, is the slogan written on the top left hand corner of the backing card. "We will make you dressed up easily happily always". Japanese to English translations make me giggle!

Candy Collection False Eyelashes.

These falsies are such a brilliant purple. I have a feather necklace exactlly the same colour as this, which I think would match perfectly. For fear of looking like a drag queen (the bad kind) I'm nearly certain that I'll be trimming these before I wear them. I'm really excited to try these though. I think they'll be a bit of a lark to wear.

Annie False Eyelashes in Type 100 Lovely.

Lash Extreme Closeup!

How beautiful are these lashes? I may have squealed a bit when I saw these actually! I absolutely adore lashes that have a bit of a separated, spiky look to them (think Ardell Demi Pixies). So these immediately won me over for that reason. What visually sets these apart from the Demi Pixies though, is the extra lashes in the outer corner. This seems to soften the overall look and even adds a bit of a cat-eye effect. Better still, the pack contains TWO sets, as well as a tube of eyelash glue. Win win! I'll have to let you know how I go with these, but I can tell you from the get-go, I have high expectations.

The Little Mermaid phone charms from Disney Sea.

The Little Mermaid has always been my favourite Disney movie, so this last gift really made me smile. First things first, I love that this includes Sebastion, who is undoubdetly my favourite Disney character to quote. I also kind of dig that Ariel and Eric are wearing the outfits from the 'Kiss The Girl' scene (my favourite song from the film). While I don't use phone charms on my mobile (does anyone even do that anymore?) I keep a small collection of charms attatched to the wire on my guinea pigs' indoor cage. So these will be a lovely addition.

Bai Bai!

A Happy Little Vegemite

First of all, let me just say that I have a bit of a love affair with Peter Alexander. Not only are the pj's, overnight bags and bedtime bits so cute and lovely, the stores are like a little slumber wonderland! I'm sure I could easily fall asleep on one of their futons with the scent of a Glasshouse candle filling the air. Anyway, Peter Alexander pj bottoms are one of my favourite things in the world. I have a sky blue pair with orange giraffes on them and they're just the comfiest, warmest and cutest pj's around. I'm fairly sure I'll wear them until they fall apart (one day in the far, far distant future!) So yes. Recently, when I was wandering around Peter Alexander, I stumbled across a pair that made me chuckle, stole my heart and insisted "buy me!"

A clue! A clue!

Ta da!

Up Close & Personal With My Favourite Breakfast Spread!

A delicious spread and some comfy flannelet pj's in one? Yes please! Now I can be patriotic while I sleep, and eat Vegemite on toast while WEARING Vegemite! I know - it boggles the mind.

Certainly, some of you may think these are tacky, but I saw the fun in them. I also think it's a really clever and lovely use of an iconic Australian product to play up the label's roots.

Apparently this design has been released before. However this is the first time I've ever seen them kicking about. As this re-release was 'due to popular demand' I'm sure they would have been snapped up in a second the first time around. So I'm not surprised they flew under my radar. I was super lucky to be able to track down the last pair in my size at Peter Alexander's Carlton store. Phewf!

Can You Pick Which One's Edible?

These were $49.95 - pretty standard for Peter Alexander pj bottoms. Luckily for me I had a gift card, care of my wonderful Nana. Thanks Nana!

And in keeping with the theme of silly and fun I also stopped by JB Hifi today and took advantage of their 'buy two kids dvd's & get the third one free' promotion. I was already wanting to buy Hook for a friend's birthday present, so I took this sale as an excuse to add to my ever growing collection of classic kids films. After diving into a bargain bin I resurfaced with Matilda and Jumanji in hand. Three films for $20? Not bad in my book.

Hook, Jumanji & Matilda

Vegemite pj's and kids films? Seems I'm an easy girl to please!

A Splattering of Everything!

This post will be a little bit all over the shop really. Part literature, part tea, part flicks and tunes and other things that have been rocking my socks of late. So forgive the firework that is this scattered post of mine. I'm sure you can all cope!

First things first I spent today shopping along Chapel St, on the lookout for some Mothers Day pressies. Drawn in by the charm of the delightfully colourful tea shop T2, not to mention the Chai Tea samples, I found myself sniffing small bowl after small bowl of teas I couldn't even pronounce the names of. I really haven't stepped foot in T2 for the longest time, but I thought I'd pay it a visit. I'm so glad I did though because I came home with something for both myself AND my stepmum! T2 currently have four little Mothers Day packs on offer for $24 which include 100g of loose leaf tea, a little infuser and an itty bitty recipe book - all very sweetly packaged and gift wrapped for free. After careful consideration (and much sampling) I picked up 'Apple Crumble' which is also known as 'Ginger Spice'. It's ginger (obviously) mixed with orange peel, cinnamon pieces and vanilla. So warming and delicious. I also liked that it contained orange rather than lemon. Much easier to drink I think! For myself, I snapped up a regular box of  'Just Cinnamon' which is pretty self explantory. I thought it might be a nice change from Chai, but still warming now that it's getting into colder weather.

I hear you T2!

Left: The Mothers Day Box All Wrapped Up. Right: My Box Of 'Just Cinnamon'

Wrapping Complete With Key And Cat. So Cute.

Next up, I recently finished reading Richard Yates'  novel 'Revolutinary Rd'. I have to be honest, I'm not incredibly 'into' literature. I want to be, but it takes a certain kind of book to really grab and hold my attention long enough for me to want to see what happens. This book definitely does that. I initially borrowed it because I loved the movie, so I was interested to see what the book was like. Wow! Even though I knew the basic premise from watching the film (which in hindsight I think did a grand old job of doing the story justice) I was still blown away.

Image Care Of whirlbooks.blogspot.com

It's an incredibly moving, honest and downright tragic depiction of a young couple in the 1950's trying to escape the humdrum normality of their suburban, conformist lives. Yep. Heavy. I think Yates himself sums it up best though: "If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy." I highly highly recommend this book. And the film for that matter. Under Yates' spell I've currently got a copy of 'The Easter Parade' which I'm beginning to make my way through! I'm hoping for another hugely satisfying read.

As far as music goes, I've been revisiting a few old bits and pieces. Knowing them by nothing other than a cover of Bjork's 'Hyperballad' I thought I'd check out the The Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'It's Blitz!'. When the right mood strikes I've actually been really enjoying this album. Particularly Soft Shock, which has found itself blaring from my headphones to a maddening extent. Another album that's been floating my boat of late is Mike Patton's 'Mondo Cane'. The album is a collection of Italian pop songs from the 50's and 60's, reworked  by Mike and a massive orchestra. For some reason, this has been one of my absolute favourites at the moment. It's fun, sporadic and just a damn good listen! Join me wont you...

Image Care Of elstinkeyes.blogspot.com

Lastnight saw me curled up on the couch watching a recently released doco called 'Bill Cunningham New York'. If you haven't heard about this documentary - where have been hiding!? And if you haven't seen it yet - why the hell not?! For anyone who doesn't know who Bill Cunnningham is, he's  a street style photographer for the New York Times. I have to admit, having never read the New York Times I didn't know who Bill Cunningham was until this doco surfaced. But I loved it all the same. Unlike the doco 'The September Issue' about Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, I found 'Bill Cunningham New York' to be very uplifting and inspiring. While the former seemed to be an albeit intriguing attempt at justifying elitist fashion for 'the cool kids', the latter was a celebration of unique style. Whether it be couture or Kmart. Of course, as an amateur beauty and style blogger on a somewhat modest salary, this gave me solace and inspiration! Plus the man himself is just such an eccentric character. After seeing this film I have so much respect for his work ethic and unyielding passion for clothes and style. Sigh. If only I could be so focused! But really, check it out if you think it'd be up your alley. Even if you're not into fashion, there's enough footage of New York to have you drooling at the mouth! I'll link the trailer here.

Image Care Of redmeetsblue.com.au

Last but not least are a couple of TV shows I've tucked under my wing for safe keeping. First is 'The Model Agency' a doco series on ABC2 about an English modelling agency. This is by no means a new idea or groundbreaking show, but it's worth a watch if you can look past (or enjoy) the bitching and crying. The second is, dare I say it, one of the greatest doco series' ever in the history of the world! Ok, that may be going a tad overboard, but it is funny. And that's 'Whisker Wars'. Nope. Not about cats. It's about Beard and Moustache Championships, and the men who compete in them! Amazing right?! Another ABC2 gem! The whole time I was watching I just kept thinking "is this for real?" Christopher Guest, eat your heart out! Oh and if you think you've missed out - think again! In Aus, these are both also available for watching online, thanks to the trusty ABC iview.

Photo Care Of vimeo.com

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