Monday 27 January 2014

Grammys Style Review

As I'm sure you would gather by now, I really love award shows. Everything about them excites me, especially the fashion. The Grammys are a whole new level of awesome because people are willing to take risks and wear some insane outfits. This year after I watched the carpet  I was summarising it for my Mum and I found myself saying 'Beyonce didn't walk the carpet, Rihanna wasn't there, Bruno Mars didn't walk the carpet, Justin Timberlake wasn't there, Lorde didn't walk the carpet...' And I became progressively more disappointed as I realised that there wasn't really much going on, there was no outstanding fashion moments and no real horrible flops. That being said, there are always some better outfits than others. 

The Good 

Taylor Swift 



I love Taylor's chainmail inspired look, its preppy and shiny in Taylor's usual fashion but it has a certain edge to it. Taylor is so statuesque and gorgeous that she doesn't need to take any increadible risks to look beautiful and garner the attention of the masses. The chain mail mesh around her shoulders ads that little bit of sexyness without taking away any of the class and the belt around her waist ads shape to her figure. In the quick shots they showed of Taylor walking, you got a brief view of her shoes which were phenominal (if only I had the money to buy them....). 

Giuliana Rancic 


Though she was only a presenter and interviewer on the carpet, Giuliana really pulled out all the stops. The bright orange colour is gorgeous on her tan Italian skin tone and the halter-like neckline shows off her shoulders. Giuliana said that she was inspired to wear an Alex Perry (who is not a really high profile designer in the states) dress from Sandra Bullocks bright and pretty numbers of late. The lace overlay of the skirt and up around her torso added great dimension to the dress. 

Katy Perry 


Katy wins as my overall favourite of the evening, her dress is just a hint towards her old kitch style but in keeping with her more classy style of late. It's so princessy and intricate, with little bits of tuille wafting off here and there. Without the music note print and with some added lining, this could look like a wedding dress but that could not have been further from my mind in the moment. Up close her earrings and hair were enpoint as well. 

They Could Have Done Better

Zendaya 


This look just perplexes me. What was going through her mind when she decided to wear this monstrosity? To begin with the colours don't go together and the top and bottom halves look like totally seperate pieces. The see through top is just weird and the buttons down the front add a whole new level of insanity. Overall, this look was just overwhelming and bad. 

Pharrell 


This is the hat that took over the world, my whole twitter feed was full of comments on this offencive headware. This look would have been totally fine (if a bit underdressed) if it weren't for the crazy hat. He looked like a mounty that was trying to be a rapper but couldn't quite let go of his past. As one of the most high profile nominees he was always popping up on my television screen and even when he changed his outfit, the hat held strong. I commend him on his commitment but it was unnecessary. 

Kacey Musgraves 


Lets face it, Kacey looks like a country prostitute. Her actual red carpet dress was quite pretty and it was only this performance dress that was bad. There is no denying she has great legs and is very beautiful but this bedazzled pile of fabric, though fitting into her genre, didn't cut it. We saw some beautiful performance outfits from musics best and fairest and this was the worst of the bunch. 

I'll probably be doing another of these posts when the Oscars finally roll around, hopefully there will be some standout gowns that night. 

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo 

I live tweeted (part of) the Grammys, so if you want to check that out and hear about the rest of my life feel free to follow me on twitter: @shanny_hudson
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Saturday 25 January 2014

Holiday Cooking: Australia Day Pavlova

Happy Australia Day! I thought I would share a favourite Australian recipe of mine with you all to celebrate.  I know not all of you are from Australia, so you may not even have heard of this dish, but I can tell you it is worth a try no matter what county you live in (I'm sorry about the quality of the photos, it was my first try).


Pavlova is an Aussie classic (even though it didn't actually originate in Australia, sorry New Zealand), so it is perfect to take with us to an Australia Day barbecue. For those of you who have no idea what it is, it is basically a huge meringue with cream and fruit on top and boy is it yummy. The combination of the crisp outer shell with the marshmallow-like centre is good enough on its own but the addition of the whipped cream and fresh fruit really makes it delicious and traditional. 


This is a very simple thing to make, there's not many ingredients at all. All you will need is: 

- 12 egg whites, at room temperature
- Large pinch of salt 
- 3 cups (660g) caster sugar
- 6 tsp cornflour
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence

You will need to preheat your oven to 150°C. Line a baking tray with some non-stick baking paper and draw a 40cm circle on the paper, place the paper on the tray, circle side down.This works as a guide to make your pav round, I don't bother with this step as I use a round baking tray. 


The most time consuming and tiring part of making a pavlova is separating all the eggs, once you're done with that you're on the home stretch. I just crack the egg and move the yolk from one half of the shell to the other until there is no white left. I'm fairly confidant with it and I think that is the key, if you make a mistake there's no harm in only having 11 egg whites. That being said, I always crack the egg and separate it over a smaller bowl and then add it into the larger bowl with the rest of the whites, just in case. 


Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. 


Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking for 1 minute after each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, continue to whisk on high for 3 minutes until stiff peaks form.


Combine cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence in a small bowl to make a thick paste. 


Add to meringue and whisk until just combined, the mixture should be glossy and have stiff peaks.


Use a spatula to spread meringue over the circle, smoothing the surface and sides. I like a rustic look with mine, so I don't worry about making it too perfect. Reduce the oven temperature to 120°C.


Bake for 2 hours - the pavlova should be dry to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave it inside to cool completely (I will cook the pav late at night and leave to cool overnight). 


When you are ready to serve, whip up some cream and serve it topped with your favourite fresh fruits. I went with kiwi fruits, mango and strawberries this time, but you could use any fruits you want. I really love it with all different types of berries and a shaving of chocolate. 

Give this simple treat a try at home and tell me what you think. 

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo

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Tuesday 21 January 2014

Apocalips: Good or Bad?




I wanted to try out lip lacquers and what was better than the highly acclaimed Rimmel Apocalips? I was a bit sceptical before this purchase because I tend to question the validity of the reviews when EVERYONE has talked about them (usually hinting towards bloggers having gotten them for free). These really do what is advertised though, they're really pigmented and hang around on your lips all day. They are not overly sticky like a bad lipgloss but they don't dry out really fast and leave your lips uncomfortably clammy like some lip stains do. 


I purchased mine in two very bright shades: Stellar (Coral at the top) and Apocaliptic (Purple-toned pink at the bottom). Both are quite eye catching and very vibrant. 


The colour Stellar is coral and very good for the summer time. It just looked so beautiful in the packaging and when I swatched it onto my hand I had to have it, I even went to the effort of going to multiple shops until I found one that had this colour in stock. 


I really love the applicator with these lacquers, they're different in that they have a dough foot with a hole in the centre. The hole is great because it really collects the product and
makes for an easy and even application over the lips when applied to full coverage. 


This shade Apocaliptic is another fantastic colour, it is really bright and can work all year round. I find that these shades are much easier to wear if you just apply a little bit to the centre of your lips and blend out with your fingers, rather than going for the all over full coverage look. I will wear them full coverage when I want to make a real statement and jazz up an otherwise boring look, but for every day they are far more subtle when blended. 



The only downside to this product is that IT GETS EVERYWHERE. When I first put some after I purchased it, I was amazed that it didn't dry out quickly and make my lips really dry, but I soon looked at my hand and saw it covered in pink stickyness. My glass was much the same when I took a sip of my drink. You just have to be very careful if you are wearing these full coverage because they really do leave their mark on anything that goes anywhere near your face. This is another reason why I prefer to blend them out a little bit. 

I would be interested to try some of the more neutral shades and see how they go. Overall I'm going to have to say, despite the occasional smudge, the Apocalips really are good. 

Have you tried the Rimmel Apocalips? Tell me in the comments. 

Lots of Love,

Shannon xo

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Wednesday 15 January 2014

Golden Globes Style Review

I’m sorry for my lack of posts lately, I have spent the past few weeks babysitting (a post on that to come) and by the time the kiddies went to bed, I was too tired to make a post that made any sense. Now I’m home and have the time we’re experiencing a massive heatwave in Melbourne and all my motivation and energy has gone down the drain. We’re only two days into this wave of over 40 degree weather and I’m already totally gone. 

Anyway, enough about the weather, this week has had a far more important event occur. The Golden Globes were on Sunday (or actually Monday in Australia) and the beautiful people of Hollywood were out in full force. This year seemed to have more classic stars than ever before: Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep were all nominated. There were so many fantastic and quite a few not-so-fantastic dresses this year, so I’m going to share my best and worst with you all. 

Best: 

Mila Kunis 


I love the colouring of this dress, the chrome embellishments that started around the neck and faded out to a beautiful grey skirt was perfect on her. If she didn’t have the belt to pull it in at the waist it may have looked a little baggy, but Gucci knew what they were doing when they designed the dress. The detail around the neck eliminated the need for a necklace - which I feel can ruin some people’s beautiful dresses - but still drew all the attention to her gorgeous face. She kept her makeup neutral and let the dress do all the work. 




Lupita Nyong’o


This simple yet attention grabbing dress was the perfect statement for Lupita to make at her first Golden Globes. She stepped out onto the carpet and showed everyone just how beautiful she is after proving her acting skills in 12 Years a Slave. I didn’t even know who she was before the Globes and now I’ve made a concerted effort to learn how to pronounce and spell her name because I’m convinced she’s going to be around for a while to come. 



Margot Robbie 


I have loved Margot since her days on Neighbours (Aussies represent!) and her Golden Globes debut was on point in my eyes. She went with a simple look that - much like Lupita - showed off her natural beauty. She wore quite a sexy dress which was low cut with a high slit, but managed to look so classy and elegant. The fabric was not forgiving, but you didn’t even notice. The best part was the beautiful embelishment around her torso, I think that was the part that made it elegant and without that it could have crossed the fine line into trashy. This would have tainted or completely ruined the fantastic publicity she gained from the awards. 



Could Have Done Better: 

Drew Barrymore 


As hesitant as I am to bag a pregnant woman on her awards show attire, I just cannot deal with this dress. Pregnancy seemed to be a big thing on the carpet this year, with Kerry Washington and Olivia Wilde pulling it off effortlessly. This floral mish-mash was overwhelming and the colours were not right on her skin tone. I’m not a fan of the cut of the hem of the dress on anyone, but this is particularly bad because it adds to the overwhelming look of the dress. Though in the end I have to forgive Drew for this fashion booboo because she looks so glowing and happy. 




Zoe Saldana 


I don’t know what to say about this dress, it’s just bad. There is too much going on, clear bits, embellished flowers, off the shoulder and baby pink are all crammed together in one confusing mess. Apparently this dress was made for Zoe personally, so I hope she was wearing it out of the kindness of her heart instead of choosing it for its beauty. The close up photo is so pretty and I think Zoe can wear a way better dress than this. 



Edie Falco 


Oh Edie, Edie, Edie. Why did you feel the need to wear a dress that has been done time and time again? This is not a particuarly bad dress, it is just the fact that it has been done before. Nicole Kidman and Emma Stone have both worn incredibly similar dresses and they have worn it better. The silk fabric was not a good choice and Edie looked rather uncomfortable in it. 



Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo


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Thursday 9 January 2014

Odd Things I Believed as a Child

I was thinking about the silly things I believed when I was a little kid and the more I thought about it the more things came to mind. Here are some of the weirdest things I believed as a child: 

BOB'S YOUR UNCLE WAS SPECIFIC TO MY FAMILY 

The phrase ‘And Bob’s your uncle!’ is one that people use when you complete something successfully, it is interchangeable with ‘And that’s that!’. But when I was a kid I thought it was something only my family said because I have an actual Uncle named Bob. I figured that other families may use the phrase and just change the name to their own Uncle. It was only when I saw it on TV that I understood that it wasn’t family specific. 

THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL WAS HELD IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

For those of you who aren’t Australian, Cairns (pronounced the same) is a large-ish city in Northern Queensland, so every time I heard people discussing the Cannes Film Festival I assumed it was in Cairns. I think I may have been in high school when it was finally brought to my attention that the festival is actually held in Cannes, France. This was quite a sad moment for me because I was really proud that Australia held such a famous film festival. 

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS LIVED IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

Townsville, the town in which The Powerpuff Girls is set, is an actual town in Northern Queensland. Though it there is obviously no connection between the fictional and actual Townsvilles, I naturally assumed The Powerpuff Girls lived in Australia. I had cousins living there at the time and I was always so impressed that they were being protected by three little girls. In hind sight I’m very glad I never said anything to those cousins about that. 

THE STOCK MARKET WAS WHERE ALL THE SHOP OWNERS WENT TO BUY THEIR STOCK 

Let me take you back to grade 5, my friend and I were walking home from school talking about the stock market. Of course we were pretty proud of ourselves, 11 year olds talking about such sophisticated topics. It was only when we got to my house and told my Mum about our discussion that we realised we were totally wrong. We had been talking about a large warehouse where shop owners (not little shops, places like Target) would go and pick out all their stock. We even thought that when they put the statistics on the news they were talking about the percentage more or less stock they bought that day. Really, it was so simple of a representation, just incredibly wrong. 

THE ONLY IMPORTANT THING THAT HAPPENED IN SEPTEMBER 2001 WAS A BRITNEY SPEARS CONCERT

As a three year old, 9/11 was not something I could comprehend nor was it something my parents wanted to subject me to on the television all day every day. After having not watched TV for about a week because all the channels were playing news bulletins constantly, I was begging my Mum to let me watch something. Eventually she gave in and found the only child friendly thing, a Britney Spears concert. - Lets just take a moment here and remember the days before children’s only free to air channels. - After watching that concert I idolised Britney and took to changing my clothes 57 times day like she did. Understandably, my Mum regretted showing me it instantly.

THERE WAS A LITTLE MAN IN THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS 

My Mum loves the Whoopi Goldberg movie Corrina Corrina and the most memorable part of that film is when they teach the little girl to blow at the traffic lights to make them turn green. My Mum also taught me to do that, and out of sheer luck it worked for me most of the time. Of course I didn’t know it was just good luck, I thought there was someone watching for me. I assumed there was a man in the traffic lights (how else would they know how to change?) and he would keep his eye out for people blowing and change them accordingly. When the lights didn’t change I just assumed he was taking a nap and didn’t see me. 

I HAD A SUPERPOWER WHERE I COULD SEE THROUGH MY HAND

You know how when you put your hand over one eye it looks like you can see through it? You can see the outline of your hand and also the things you see with your other eye. I discovered this in bed one night and freaked out because I thought I had finally discovered my superpower. I tried for months to see through other objects, but shockingly I could not see through walls. 

IF YOU SWALLOWED A SEED IT WOULD GROW INSIDE YOU

I know this one is fairly common and I believed it just as much as the rest. I had a friend who would eat apples morning noon and night and he would eat the whole thing, core and all. I used to get so freaked out when he didn’t come to school because I was convinced he was in the hospital getting the apple tree removed from his stomach. I would frantically ask the teachers and try get my Mum to call his Mum because I was so worried for him. 

DRINKING AND DRIVING WAS FOR ALL LIQUIDS 

If my Dad had a bottle of water in the car I would flip my shit. I was so scared that we would get pulled over and he would be put in jail for ‘drinking and driving’. I’m not sure when it finally clicked that they were only talking about alcoholic beverages, but it was a great weight off my shoulders when it did. 

MY HEART STOPPED EVERY TIME I HAD THE HICCUPS  

I get the hiccups all the time, sometimes 3 times a day. So this was a big worry for me, I thought I would eventually die from so many missed heart beats. I tried everything to get rid of them so my heart would continue beating, but I still haven’t found the thing that can cure my hiccups. 

Here are a couple of photos of myself as a little one so you can get a good picture of the little girl thinking these weird thoughts. 

Me with my Grandparents

Me and my eldest brother Mitch

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo


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Sunday 5 January 2014

Beauty Favourites of 2013

Now for my final post in my favourites series, my beauty favourites of 2013! 

Mascara 

Covergirl’s Clump Crusher is the best mascara I have ever used. It glides on smoothly and gives quite a natural, clump free look on the first application. It can be layered up to give a more dramatic, thick look. I used up a whole tube (is it a tube? what is a mascara thing called?) of this throughout the year and I decided to mix up my brands and buy something different. I had heard great things about the Maybelline Falsies mascara so I decided to give that a go, but I didn’t really like the fact that it was clumpy and I had a bit of an allergic reaction to the waterproof formula. After about three days I was back at the shops purchasing the Clump Crusher again because I couldn’t bare to use anything else.



Eyeliner 

I was always one to use a eyeliner pencil, but after I began watching beauty videos on Youtube I thought I should branch out a little bit. The first thing I purchased was a gel liner and that worked well for large dramatic lines but did not do thin lines or the water line well. I bought a Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner and that filled my needs perfectly. I can get an incredibly thin line or I can make it thicker if I feel inclined. There is not much to say about the grip of the pen, but that is not important to me. What’s more important is the fact that the eyeliner glides on smoothly and does not move throughout the day. I still use my eye pencil and gel liner, but this liquid liner is my go to product. 



Face Powder 

As I was standing in the isle perusing my options for a new face powder, I thought of Tanya Burr always raving over Rimmel’s Stay Matte Powder and I figured it couldn’t hurt to try it. As you can see by the picture below, I quite like it. I use it every day on my nose and chin where I tend to get a bit oily over the day and it definitely helps. I use the transparent powder so that it doesn’t affect the look of my makeup beneath it. Once I finish this lot I will have to purchase another. 



Lipstick 

Though I did not first discover these lipstick/lip balm concoctions in 2013, my collection and love for them grew over the year. The Revlon Lip Butters have been highly acclaimed all over, and I am jumping on the bandwagon because they deserve the praise. They are perfect for days when you don’t want sticky lips full of lipstick and lipgloss. I now have five different shades: Lollipop, Cupcake, Sugar Frosting, Strawberry Shortcake and Tutti Fruitti. 



Lip Balm 

Lucas’ Pawpaw Ointment is not just a lip balm, it has so many other uses as well. It is not even sold in the lip balm section of the shops, it is most commonly sold in the baby products section. Even though it is not specifically sold as a lip balm it is the best one I have ever used. It is really soft and makes your lips feel really nourished. It is a bonus that it can be used to heal scabs as well. 



Nail Polish 

O.P.I nail polish has been my go to this year. I love the way it dries quite quickly but I don’t love the cost. I have bought a few but the best is the really bright pink colour in the Minnie Mouse line. It is called a Definite Moust-Have and it is a definite moust-have for my summer nails. Wearing it makes me so happy because the almost red shade is so bright and fun. 



Dry Shampoo 

I never knew dry shampoo existed before last year, but once I discovered it I didn’t want to be without it again. I love having long hair but I can never be bothered washing it, I know I have to but all the washing and blow drying and straightening takes up so much time. I can push it to twice a week when I give my hair a spritz of the Batiste Dry Shampoo in between. It makes my hair feel fresh and gets rid of any grease for a day, only a day. The day after I use the dry shampoo I need to give it a proper wash because it begins to feel a bit yucky. I love the smell of the floral and fruity blush scent.



And that sums up my 2013 favourites, now I can move on to bigger and better things in 2014.

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo


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Saturday 4 January 2014

Internet Favourites of 2013

The internet has been a growing presence in my life over the past couple of years, and this past year it has been greater than ever. I am trying to become more of an active addict, rather than a person who is addicted to stalking everyone else on the internet (not that I’m being creepy, I just thought people wouldn’t want to hear what I have to say). Here are some of my favourite things about and on the internet. 

Youtube 

Not to get too deep in a favourites post, but I have been struggling socially a bit this year. I have felt really alone and Youtube has really helped me through that. I’m not actually interacting with anyone, but the fact that it is a more personal medium than TV or movies gives me the illusion of inclusion. I feel as though the Youtubers are my replacement friends, even though it is incredibly one sided. I thought I would tell you about a few of my favourite Youtubers and why I like their videos. 

Zoella 

Zoe is probably my favourite Youtuber because of her video content and personality. Her videos are sometimes funny, sometimes girly, sometimes random and that is the way I like it. I really love watching beauty videos because I am so into makeup and beauty products myself, but I love it when the person puts some personality into it like Zoe does. I think variety within your medium is key, so I love it when she does follow-me-around vlogs as well. I really enjoy watching her Vlogmas and other vlogs as well because it shows her personality even more. I look up to her because she suffers from panic attacks but she doesn’t dwell on it in her videos and she seems to have a vibrant life, unlike some people who let things like that hold them back. Plus she is friends with the English Youtube crew and they are all just so hilarious, I can't help but like her. 


Tyler Oakley 

Tyler is like the King AND Queen of the internet, he seems to be friends with everyone and is slowly taking over in the best way possible. He is so naturally funny, yet when he hosts an event or something he can be really professional. Even though 90% of his videos are just him sitting in front of the camera, they are the first I watch when I see them in my subscription box. He is such an inspiration to all young people, not only gay and lesbian people, because he is always talking about acceptance and not caring about what other people think about you. His best ever videos are his ‘My Worst Hook-Up Ever’ video from June 2012 and his drunk challenges with Sawyer Hartman (a slightly sloshed Tyler is the best Tyler). 


Lohanthony 

Lohanthony is just so sassy, he says what he thinks and he means what he says. I like him mostly because he is my age and proves that it is not about how old you are, it is about how interesting you are as a person. This also goes for his production value, he doesn’t make his videos in front of a greenscreen with industrial lighting, it is more homegrown and goes back to Youtube’s roots. He talks about hating people and things all the time, but he seems to genuinely care about his followers and friends. 


Instagram 

Instagram has become really really popular in 2013 and I love it. Though I am not a very active user (I’m working on that), I love the idea and the way some people use it. It is like a photo album that can be updated instantly. Especially the people who have a whole theme behind their pages and they have matching colours and filters and stuff. I really want to work on having a more interesting Instagram in 2014. 

Scriptnotes 


This is not a typical obsession of a teenage girl, but one of the highlights of my week is the new Sciptnotes episode coming out. Scriptnotes is a podcast run by two successful screen writers John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Go, Charlie’s Angels) and Craig Mazin (Identity Thief, The Hangover 2 & 3) where they talk about the art of screen writing and the film industry. I really enjoy it because it combines my love of movies and the film industry with my love of writing. I learn a lot from listening to it and though I probably wont use a lot of it in real life, I apply my knowledge where possible. John and Craig are funny and polar opposites, which creates some tension at times. Sometimes I question why I watch so many humorous Youtube videos, but I never question listening to Scriptnotes because I know that under the entertainment there is actual useful information. 


Tomorrow will be my final 2013 favourites and it is my beauty favourites. Which is my favourite favourites post! 

Lots of Love, 

Shannon xo

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