Friday Favourites

bleu-indigo

A haphazard leap into a world of kaleidoscopic variations in colours and schemes has propelled me into an emotive state of bliss as I scoured through my latest discovery, bleu-indigo, on Tumblr. What makes the connection even greater is the fact that I'm even considering the namesake title to be my favourite colour... which is easy given the fact that black is not conventionally categorised as a colour.

Winter Runway Inspiration

style.com

Manic Media Monday

nytimes

With all the hoopla surrounding the trifecta of cancellations for this year's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (Dion Lee, Josh Goot and Elliot Ward-Fear) and the installation of the Tupac hologram at Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg's set at Coachella, I decided to create my own media frenzy and watch two pilot episodes of two shows that I believe are very closely linked.

It seems as though we are intrigued by the idea of women facing hardship, with new TV shows from HBO ("Girls") and ABC ("Don't Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23") both showing a dark side to females being thrusted into a new world of independence, especially at a time when nothing remains stagnant, except change.

While "Apartment 23" shows the humourous side of misfortune, "Girls" takes a more honest approach to the struggles of living in New York and how landing that dream job is not guaranteed, despite best efforts.

All in all, one unique way I can tell that a new series will be enjoyable is when they play some decent soundtracks, which was the case for "Apartment 23" as they featured Nouvelle Vague's "I Melt With You" in the closing scene. In "Girls", the middle of the episode was highlighted by Feist's "Feel it All" which made for a nice touch.

As much as I enjoyed the new visual pleasures on offer, it was the finale of The Shins' set at Coachella 2012 that really grabbed my attention, as the aural delight came in the form of "Sleeping Lessons". It's a mystery why the band never performed at Coachella before, however, they'll be doing it all over again next weekend for the second round of the festival. Not a bad way to start their debut at one of the world's biggest music events.

However, there was no denying that Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg were the highlight of the three-day event, as they blasted hit after hit alongside some of the biggest names in rap/hip-hop, such as Eminem, Wiz Khalifa, Warren G, Kurupt, Kendrick Lamar, Nate Dogg and even Tupac, as a 3D hologram. After watching the almost hour-long set, I couldn't believe how solid and momentous this gig was. A must-see for everyone!

Now, I'm about to watch the M83 full set. They are already starting off with the aptly-titled "Intro (feat. Zola Jesus)"...

5 Things To Try For Fall/Winter 2012

1. Ombré taupe nailsmanicure-design

2. Lavender grey eyeshadow (ie NARS Lhasa)retailtherapy.onsugar

3. Cosmic/galaxy print
stockholm streetstyle

4. Brogueswitchery

5. Reading novels
artgallerynsw

Haigh's Chocolates

Just when you thought you had enough chocolate goodness to last you all year, Haigh's Chocolates recently announced that April to October is marshmallow and coconut season!

There are five seasonal products to choose from (taken from the official Haigh's website here):

Rocky Road fans can choose from smooth premium milk chocolate with fluffy marshmallow plus cherries and almonds, or delicious dark premium chocolate with hazelnuts, cherries and raisins. Milk chocolate is available in a 200g bag for$ 7.90 and Dark Chocolate is available in a 200g bag for $8.35.
 
Our Kokettes are made with natural flavours and no preservatives with sweet layers of vanilla and raspberry flavoured marshmallow covered in premium milk or dark chocolate. You can buy them individually for $1.35 or in a pack of 4 for $5.20.

Coconut and Macadamia Block is fast becoming a seasonal favourite! Introduced two years ago, it’s a delicious combination of crunchy Australian macadamia nuts and toasted coconut mixed with our premium milk chocolate. $9.20 for 200g block.

Our Toasted Marshmallow is light and fluffy and just melts in your mouth! It is ideally enjoyed with a Haigh’s hot chocolate during the cooler months. Available in a 200g bag for $5.30.

Finally our ever popular Coconut Rough is a cluster of lightly roasted dessicated coconut hand mixed with premium milk chocolate $11.25 per 100g.

All of these sugary and sweet delights are available in-store now! Hop to it!

Whipped

net-a-porter

VPL Insertion bra/Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Bob's Memphis' leather shoulder bag/Gucci studded leather brogues/Valentino studded leather waist belt

Going through a career-changing transition can be one of the most exhilarating, yet intimidating processes that a self-professed workaholic can undertake. However, it allows me to get some unfamiliar time off to unwind, regroup and focus on the next task at hand. That is, to start a new chapter of employment that will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship for many years to come. Getting to that competitive stage will not be so easy, but with a persistent plague of hard work and habitual completion of to-do lists in the form of short-term goals, it will endeavour to give me a chance to become a part of the industry I desire to seek.

Coco Noir

Coco Noir macarons in lamington, berry forest, chocolate, strawberry rose, tropical and hazelnut

On Thursday night after the Kenzo launch, I brought home a half-dozen box of macarons (pictured) from Coco Noir in Westfield Sydney just as they were closing up for the night. Initially, it was meant to be shared but I ended up having four out of six (minus the strawberry rose and hazelnut). I was quite impressed with the lamington, as it was something more original than the others. If only I came across a patisserie that made cookies and cream or chocolate mousse macarons...