Attention Melbourne Readers: Free Swing Lessons!

Hi all! This post is aimed at readers in Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs who are interested in trying out swing dancing FOR FREESIES. :D Yes you read that right! The company I take classes with - Swing Patrol - has started a referral system where students can give their friends the chance to take three complimentary, hour long lessons. I immediately thought of you guys and grabbed a bunch -if you are interested, please email me at kibbleking (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au and give me an address I can mail the vouchers to. I'm happy to send multiples if you have a partner or gal pal you want to bring along. The class timetable can be viewed here: clicky!

 

(Fair disclosure - if you do use all three lessons, I get a free one too! But I'm really just interested in getting more people involved and potentially meeting some of you lovely readers!)

In my opinion Swing Patrol offer really great classes - they are fun, entertaining and the instructors are very adept at getting you talking (and dancing!) with the others members of the group so that there are no jitters when it comes to rotating partners. This sounded scary to me at first, but it is a great way to meet people and it means you learn to lead and follow with your body easily. Each class stands alone - it gives you the building blocks to each dance style, which you can then put together later at home or in the social dancing hour later.

The lessons cover styles from the 20s to the 40s (so yes, Lindy Hopping forms a big component). Currently we are learning a 1930s style Charleston, which is a lot more 'leany' and lower to the ground than the 20s style. I have never taken dance lessons in my life but by the end of each class I know a couple of flashy looking moves and how to sequence them together - I would never have guessed it could be so easy or fun!

Hopefully I will see some of you there!

Shock. Horror.

So sources are saying that Lindsay Lohan has been confirmed to star in the lifetime Elizabeth Taylor biopic "Liz and Dick".

First she shamelessly attempts to copy Marilyn, now she wants to pass as this flawfree goddess - oh hell no! If she comes anywhere near my Audrey I'm going to cut a biatch.

(I imagine Elizabeth and Marilyn are giving Lindsay this exact "gurl no" side-eye from beyond...)

Putting aside Lilo's utter classlessness aside for a moment, let's see if Hollywood casting directors at least got the physical resemblance right:

Oh. Yeah. I see it now. Bring on "Liz and Dick!" *weeps into pancakes*

So Mod Right Now

What a difference a haircut makes! I blogged about this dress in early 2011, but I wasn't really happy with how my hair worked with it at the time. With my newly cropped hair, I feel much more authentically mod (plus my skills with the graphic lined eye have improved!)

The original outfit versus today's - you can tell I've put on weight since then (sob) but I much prefer the styling I've done for the latter! You can also see how my collection of books/dvds/knick knacks has exploded over the course of a year!

It's not perfect but I love the look of the graphic, mod eye. I'm not sure if people are interested in a product breakdown, but here goes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Eyeshadow Base in White
Illamasqua Pigment in Breathe
Illamasqua Pigment in Zeitegist
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Perversion
Maybelline False Lash Mascara

So what's been going on in my life lately? AKA what excuses do I have for not keeping a regular posting schedule...
I've been working full time! Getting up at 6:30 and returning home at 7:30 I've had no time to take proper photos... I only got this done because today is a public holiday!
I have to get my license before my learner's permit runs out! Bye bye weekends, hello endless hours spend in the car with parentals trying not to hit pedestrians...
I was accepted into my goal course - Honours in Psychology at Melbourne University! I'm so psyched (zing) to have made it this far. Just one more step on the road towards my dream career!

I spend all day in front of a computer at work so lately the net has been the last thing I want to do when I get home - additionally, I've been trying to use my free time constructively so I'm going to take up running, German and ukulele! I can play (haltingly) my first real song, so perhaps in the future I'll put up some youtube videos? Let me know in the comments if that is something you'd like to see!

Hope you enjoyed this brief check-in, and for those in the Antipodes I hope you're having a happy Australia Day!

Revlon Giveaway Winner!

Gosh I am so sorry it took me so long to draw this - with juggling a new job and study applications I completely lost track!

Without any further ado, I'll announce the winner - randomly selected by my boyfriend.

Lisa! From the blog My Pretty Baby She Was a Bird. Please send me your address so I can mail your lippy!

Merry Christmas!

Just dropping by to wish you a merry christmas and to finally post pictures of my new haircut! I asked for something 'Audrey Hepburn circa Sabrina' and I am very happy with the results! (Any melbourne based ladies should give the Biba Academy studios a try. You get a high quality haircut for $20, supervised by professionals - the only downside is that the students take longer, but they are constantly making you cups of tea and coffee so the time flies by!)

Boyfriend and I accidentally matched! Cute or weird? I can't decide.

 

My Xmas dress was snapped up for a bargain 75% off (caught them doing the markdowns for boxing day at Myer so I managed to get in before the crowds!) It was chosen in anticipation of the predicted 30 degree day, but....

Melbourne did its darndest to give us a white christmas via a thunderous hailstorm!

I still have no idea what I even got for Christmas - we're hosting this year so there hasn't been any time between cooking to take a look under the tree! Taking a break to nurse my food-baby while blogging. Hopefully will be allowed to open soon!

My love to you all - hope you are having a safe, restful and merry christmas, and that Santa left you something special under the tree!

Australian Readers - Pssst, have you heard?

Dita von Teese will be returning to Australia in March 2012 to launch a lingerie line for Target! She will walk the runway at the Loreal Fashion Festival on March 10, 2012, and the pieces themselves will be arriving instore in February, with new product lines to come in March and April. The line will be titled "Von Follies by Dita von Teese", and will come in a wide range of sizes (up to an E cup in bras and size 20 in briefs).

Prices will start at $17 and go up to $79 for fitted corsolettes. Word is that the collection will include proper garter belts, overwire bras, high waisted briefs, corsetry; and the colours will encompass black lace over nude, leopard print, and dreamy pale pink satins. It will be available for purchase both instore and online, which is a lifesaver for women like me who are right now reading about the delicious details and fretting they might not make the product launch!

Personally I'm kicking myself that I quit working at Target right before this collection was announced! I could have brought you a little insider info, or more selfishly, earmarked a few pieces for myself before they hit the floor. Any my staff discount is gone! Nooooooo! I'll see if my connections have any more information to offer closer to the release date, however. I have only been able to find the one sneak-peek of the collection so far - this gorgeous black and blue lace number:

 

I'm personally not the biggest fan of Dita, as I find her strip shows to be a little robotic and lacking in the sense of cheekiness and fun that I find really appealing in burlesque (I much prefer the va-va-voom displayed by british burlesque bombshell Immodesty Blaize, but that is neither here nor there). Despite this, I'm excited about the launch of an accessible range of lingerie that comes in styles that I prefer and find physically flattering. However having spoken to a few hardcore Dita fans who feel that selling the range in a store like Target rather than Myer or David Jones 'cheapens' the Dita brand, I'm really curious to find out what you think! Are you excited about cheapish, pretty undies? Or would you rather see couture techniques (at a fairly couture price point) like Dita's recent capsule clothing launch at David Jones?

The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie's Auction House

Anybody have a spare couple of thousand? A collection of beautiful items from the wardrobe of that grand old dame, Elizabeth Taylor, are to go under the hammer at Christie's Auction House. Even better, I hear some of it will be available for sale online... if only I had the dosh!
Browsing the online catalogue I can only marvel at the exquisite and slightly eccentric taste of Taylor - she moved effortlessly through the fashions of the eras, always with her own unique pizazz.
This video showcases some of the highlights of the collection, along with some choice reflections from celebrities and designers about Taylor's style and personality.

 Damn did that girl have some serious bling! And she sure knew how to work a kaftan.

Christie's also has a blog that delves into the history behind the pieces and follows the exhibition on its travels - while it doesn't have much content yet, it may be worth keeping an eye on. See here!

My personal favourite is this luxurious ostrich feather gown. Please Santa?

More choice picks:

This dress, which Taylor wore to her wedding to Richard Burton, is estimated to reach a cool $40,000 - hurm, house deposit or dress...

I gotta stop looking or I'll short out my computer with drool.