Korean Facial Experience

I'm going through a slightly obsessive Korean jag lately fuelled possibly by YouTubing way too many K-Pop music videos and consuming way too many Shabu-Shabus.  I decided to try a Korean Facial as my reasoning is all the chicks in the K-Pop vids look great so ergo, they must know what they are doing in the skin care stakes. Yep, I have primitive reasoning skills. 

Off I traipsed.  Overall it was a disconcerting experience although my skin does look and feel more hydrated.  I had planned to dip a tentative toe in the whole Korean Facial experience and just go with the basic 60 min package.  However upon arrival, my aesthetician assessed I had quite a few skin issues (pigmentation and wrinkles) that needed to be addressed pronto and recommended I upgrade to a 90 min package which cost twice as much.  A sure fire way of making me fork out fistfuls of cash  - play on my insecurities and vanity. 

I had researched that Koreans specialise in using different hi-techie equipment in their facials.  So it's a bit different to the usual cleanse, exfoliate, mask, etc.  I was expecting gadgets and machinery and a bit of gizmo showmanship.  I came armed with camera and asked the aesthetician whether I could take a few photos of myself at each step of the process for this post. Pulling out the camera seemed to have put her off side and before I knew it, I had the manager in the treatment room insisting I put the camera away as their methods are confidential.  Well really. It's like I've landed in a North Korean military base.   I did manage to sneak a photo in of their equipment (see below) when they left me to get changed.  Ha!  I make a good spy...

Then came the disconcerting bit.  Now remember, the service I ordered was a facial not a massage with happy endings.  The first 15 mins of the experience involved perplexingly enough an ultrasound to my breasts.  I discovered I become totally disempowered when semi naked.  My clothed persona would have asked pertinent questsions eg what are you doing?  what does an ultrasound to the breasts do? did you know I came here for a facial, not a boobie massage? However my naked self was mute although all these thoughts did churn through my head in an endless and not very relaxing loop.  My sense of disempowerment was due to the fact that moments earlier I had indicated the ultrasound head was getting rather hot on my skin and got no acknowledgement.  So when the aesthetician put down the ultrasound head and started oil up my chest for a hands on massage of my mammaries, I just surrendered.  Another fifteen long minutes of me lying like a starfish and my boobs were being kneaded like dough, I gave up the expectation of any treatment happening on my face. 

Thankfully the inordinate breastal focus did end and with much relief I got my facial.  There were frothy lotions and rubbery masks - all fun to apply.  The aesthetician did whip out what appears to be an iontophoresis machine (again I was not comfortable asking what it was) which had a hand set which was rubbed onto the face vigorously whilst she weided a syringe. I did summon enough nerve to enquire what was in the syringe as I timidly figured if I was to be injected with anything I had the right to know, right?  I was informed in a thick Korean accent that the syringe contained "see-wum".  With that oh so enlightening answer, my enquiry ended. 

This is a photo of the equipment they didn't want me to take.  Interesting devices...very clinical looking...did I mention the aesthetician wore a surgical mask during the whole procedure?  Lots of similiarities to a torture chamber:  I was stripped naked (although that part was somewhat voluntary);  my captors wore masks;  my camera was confiscated; I was connected to beeping equipment which had the capability of inflicting 3rd degree burns;  there were syringes filled with 'see-wum' for god sakes! 

For all that ordeal, I have had two independent parties comment on how nice my skin looks.  So will I do it again?  Probably.  In hindsight the boobecular focus at the start was probably their version of a value-add.  So happy endings?

Beaker

American shopping...or how much we pay...

I'm just back from a holiday in Hawaii...
Will blog more about it another time but was out at Chadstone the other day and stopped into Mecca Cosmetica. Love that shop- if I could afford to I would buy everything. It's all so pretty and smells so lovely - a little piece of retail heaven!
What I don't like is the price. Mainly because I've been to the USA before and with online shopping nowadays everyone can see how much other countries are paying.

Here are two examples of my purchases and how much it would costs here in Oz:

Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil- I already had this in Sex Machine- a pretty soft pink from my last USA holiday. This time round I bought it in  Frivolous- which has a slight glitter in a more beige pink. At Mecca it costs AUD $50. At Sephora it as USD $24 plus 4.2% tax..with the Aussie dollar so strong this came to about AUD $25....half price.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma- a new face cream for me. The smell is au natural and rather mariney..not too pleasant but I'm getting used to it. It sinks in in a lovely way and the sales assistant at Sephora raved about it. At Mecca Cosmetica it costs AUD $225 for 30 ml, compared to USD $150 plus tax at Sephora.

I understand there are shipping costs, and customs and other costs. But with the Aussie dollar being so strong, we don't seem to be having any savings past onto us. Unfortunately Sephora doesn't accept orders from Australia :( A sad first world problem.

Labels to Lust After......Weber.....yes, the BBQ brand....

I've become so domesticated that on my current LUST list is....

A Weber BBQ. Yes, a bbq. A $799 bbq.

I have never barbecued anything in my life. Never. I may have turned a sausage once or twice, before quickly returning to the kitchen or to socialising.

Yet I dream of a Weber Performer Touch and Go Black BBQ.
It's so pretty. And so many features... read this...
The ultimate Weber kettle is the Performer with Touch-N-Go™ ignition. This enables outdoor chefs to light their charcoal fuel using gas. Instead of using firelighters, a gas burner is located directly under the fuel. You only need to run the gas burner for 10 minutes to ignite the charcoal. The charcoal will be ready to cook on in a further 15 to 20 minutes.

Impressive yes???

I need to examine this desire further- do I want it to cook on or because it looks so strong, functional and well attractive? hmmmm...

Labels to lust after...Leona Edmiston

I bought my first Leona Edmiston dress to wear to celebrate my 30th birthday. When people and magazines talked about designer clothing being worth the extra cost because of the cut or the way it sits I thought it was all a bit of a crock. Leona proved me wrong.

Her designs know how to flatter my curves, making me look sexy bombshell rather than booby beach ball.

Since my initial birthday purchase I have built up quite a little Leona collection. Mostly I've bought them on sale....ah i heart Leona's sales. And she has them regularly and still has good stock in various sizes.  Like this Vanessa Dress reduced from $395 to $125!!! Or this Hazel Dress Jacquard, not quite such a bargain at $415 from $595 but so pretty, so classic. That's one of the things I love about by Leona dresses- they endure. They might be expensive, but they are not on trend and so can be worn over the years. Good per wear value...

She must be a very astute business woman. She has expanded from the stunning Leaona Edmiston range, which are dresses designed in Australia generally made from European materials.

She has an accessories range (hosiery, sunnies, bags, shoes) and a Leona Edmiston Ruby range, which are much cheaper and made from materials such as polyster etc. Not as classy or sophisticated, but still well cut and ALOT cheaper! I love the florals and adore the split sleeves on this- Daisy Ditzy Dress and only $149.

Recently she has introduced two lines only available through Myer stores- Leona Woman, in larger sizes, and Leona, again a cheaper diffusion line similar to Ruby. Online she has available Leona Edmiston Plus Sizes which are certain styles adapted and available  up to size 6 (which I think is approx 18/20 Aust). How clever to cover a market where lots of stylish woman who have the money want to buy gorgeous clothes, just like their smaller sized sisters.

Ah Leona, I do love you!!!

Who is your favourite designer?
Why?

Love Boo xox

Boo's garden

My nana was a great gardener. She lived in a small 2 bedroom unit in Glenhuntly. The backyard was nearly all concreted in when she bought the unit. She transformed it into a little garden oasis.

As a child I adored visiting and going out the back to pick and eat some fresh delicious produce. Not much made it back inside to be washed, eaten properly or taken home. Sun warmed juicy cherry tomatoes that burst in my mouth. Ripe red sweet strawberries that my brother and I would fight over. Cute little baby carrots that definitely required a good wash before eating. Sweet yellow corn, so sweet and fresh that it would be eaten minutes after picking, no cooking necessary.

Upon moving into my little house two years ago I was excited at the though of my very own garden. A veggie patch. Fruit trees. Being a little self sufficient...

I love the way that gardening, and having a little veggie patch, connects me to my memories of time spent with my nana, and makes me feel as if she continues to live a little through my gardening.

I had some early success with broad beans and snow peas. Friends grew bucket loads of zucchinis but my vine had none that survived past the size of a pea. My cucumbers were prolific....neighbours would come home to cucumbers left on their porches, friends would have cucumbers forced upon them as they left my house and work colleagues looked oddly at my collection of cucumbers on my desk!

One thing I hadn't realised was how gardening could be seen as a socialist pursuit, a radical form of empowerment of the people, away from big corporations and multinationals. My education began at
Diggers Club- gardening porn for inexperienced brown thumbs wanting to be more green. Heirloom varieties of amazing vegetables and flowers. The more bizarre the name or the appearance the more keen I become.

My dutch purple podded peas have flowered, and the pods are just developing nicely now

The peas are supposedly a normal green, but the stunning vibrant flowers and the purple pods so attracted me. The plants have grown incredibly well, some are as tall as I am (not a great achievement perhaps after all...)

Another one I was keen to try was the purple dragon heirloom carrots

I've yet to try these.I gave this away to a friend for her little girls to try.

I can highly recommend the online shopping at Diggers. They deliver in cardboard containers- seems odd but works. I was dubious when the strawberries I bought arrived; 10 for $10. When they arrived I thought I'd been duped and they were that cheap for a reason. They were teeny tiny seedlings. Having planted them I am now starting to see strawberry blossoms and little green berries! Can't wait to be able to eat them right off the plant!

What's in your garden at the moment?
What do you want to plant?
What activities do you do that bring back memories of friends or family?

Love Boo xox

Pie In The Sky - Review

It just so happened, one fine morning three generations of Beakers headed up to Mt Dandenongs for a spot of female bonding.  There was me, my 5 year old Bubba Chuck, my mum and my sister aka Bureaucrat from the Eat and Be Merry for Tomorrow We Diet fame (which she assures me is the number 1 food blog in Aust)

Pie In The Sky is a veritable institute.  Their claim to fame are gold and silver award winning pies.  I'm not sure who is awarding them and on what categories they are judged but word is out that they are a winner and the queue goes from the waiting area and onto the street. 

Don't let the hilly billy ambience nor the queues put you off.  Their pies are worth waiting for.  To 'have in', the pies are circa $15-ish with sides.  To take away, they average $4.  Cheap!

I had a cornish pastie with full side of peas, mash and gravy.  It was hearty to say the least.  I was ready to plough the fields after that full plate of sustanence.  There was real chunks of meat in the pastie versus meat mash in the ones you would normally come across

Bubba Chuck scoffed a sausage roll the length of her forearm with no complaints. 

My mother, who has completely missed the point that one was expected to sample pies in a place called Pie In The Sky, ordered a stuffed potato.  As stuffed potato goes, it was one of the best I've tasted.  It was injected with garlicky butter (yum).  I wasn't so keen on the two mounds of sour cream on top...just looking at the sour cream makes me want to book myself in for an angioplasty.... but crunchy coleslaw though. 

Bureaucrat nommed on a steak and mushroom pie which was obviously good enough to break her wheat free diet for.

Good, relatively cheap food in large serves - 2 thumbs up!

A bit senior citizen-ish inside but you can dine al fresco and watch the goings on on High St - 1 thumbikin up


http://www.pieinthesky.net.au/
43 Olinda-Monbulk Road, OLINDA  VIC 3788
ph 9761 2126

Is a coffee catch up a date?

Another coffee date. The same cafe. Another hot chocolate.

I arrived early, straight from work. At work a few people had asked where was I going, why was I wearing make up (shows how infrequently I wear make up!). I sat in my car, reading, waiting, eye on the clock and eye on men coming and going. Checking out if he was my date. Had a scare and almost scampered when a man in a car pulled up behind me; he'd just sworn and screamed out his window at someone who apparently transgressed his traffic space. He looked a little like my coffee catch up.....

Luckily he wasn't. My date was waiting across the road. 

My coffee date was waiting, wearing chinos and a navy blazer. From our emails he had come across as very sweet and caring. From his photos he came across as slightly dorky and a little...awkward looking.....

We did the polite kiss on the cheek and I was checking him out subtly. Not unattractive but a little odd...a slightly neanderthal nose bridge was what kept on catching my eye. Was off putting.

We chatted, mainly about travel for 1.5 hours. He told me how when he travels he finds it all a bit scary and seemed surprised that I'd travelled by myself and enjoyed it. He doesn't even like to have dinner out by himself when travelling within Australia for work....

I suggested it was time to go and asked the time. He noted it had been 1.5 hours- a good sign. Well.....I am able to talk t anyone for any amount of time and it doesn't necessarily mean much except I can talk to anyone for any amount of time.

I am wondering if i need to tweak my profile. To reflect all parts of my personality.

Again, he was nice.
Polite.
Paid for my hot chocolate ( may need to start drinking real drinks on these dates...am over hot chocolate already!)

Am I too picky?
Am I expecting too much too soon?

We cheek kissed goodbye. I'm off on holidays in a few days and he suggested I call him when I'm back....maybe...

Love Boo xox