The Best and Easiest White Sauce Ever

My dad always told me you should never trust anyone who says "trust me" (unless of course it is my dad that is saying it... odd rule i know). But when i say trust me, i really mean trust me.

I learnt this white sauce from my Nanna and i assume its as popular in other homes as it is in mine! I like to pride myself on simplicity in recipes and this one is the simplest cheapest way to make vegetables more yummers. I love this recipe on a weekend/Friday night when you don't want to cook all day but you want a meal everyone will love. If that's what your yearning for then trust me ;)

Nanna's White sauce (over broccoli)

1-2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon Flour (i used self raising because i very rarely have plain flour in my house!)
1 cup milk
small handful of grated cheese (or just break up some of your favourite cheese into small-ish pieces)

1. Melt butter in a pot over a medium heat.

2. Add flour and whisk until all flour is absorbed by the butter.

3. slowly pour in milk. you can do this in two ways. a) pour the milk into butter & flour mixture in a steady thin stream whisking the entire time. or b) pour in the milk slowly in a risotto fashion. Wait for the sauce to thicken before adding the next small batch.

4. Keep whisking until the sauce thickens. Any lumps will disappear with the whisking so don't stress.

5. pour over some cooked broccoli and top with cheese. Then pop the whole thing in a medium heat oven and let it brown and melt. Hmmm white gooey goodness!!!

Love and kisses on both cheeks,
Sunny xxx

Wish List

1st wish list!! Wish list is a list of things i want madly truly deeply!!! Enjoy!

1. Fish Bubbles Wall Mountable Fish Bowl Tank 3.6L - seriously, how cool is it? i used to have a Siamese Fighting Fish and that would have been the most awesomest tank. Unfortunately, i am so lazy/busy i would never get time to clean it!

2. Bakers Edge Brownie Pan - everyone loves the edge of the brownie.

3. Victoria's Secret Naughty Products - i want want want all their Booty Parlour range with: add magic lube, Kissable body shimmer and play with me massage oil. LOVE the discreet packaging!

4. These Steve Madden Shoes - In black white multi. Its so 20's that it makes me squirm with delight!

5. Baby girl Boutique - cute rockabilly cream sweater. Would love to be able to wear it like the model. Plus these cute panties.

6. Dermalogica Total Eye Care - gotta look after those lovely eyes ladies! Don't want to get to 50 and look 80!

Love and kisses on both cheeks,
Sunny xxx

To Quiche, Or Not To Quiche?

Well, I'm a bit late in writing to you all, but i did reach another of my weekly recipe resolutions!! Wooohooo!

I made Mini Impossible Quiche's... Impossible you say?

Let me inform you- impossible quiche is a quiche where you don't use a pastry. It has self raising flour in the egg mixture which sinks to the bottom and creates a sort of pretend pastry. Great for us lazy girls who don't feel like coming home and making a big batch of pastry shells!!!

Anyway my quiche's were Bacon & Broccoli because i love broccoli and because what is a quiche without bacon???

Here is the recipe I used and it made 12 Large Mini Impossible Quiches (yes i get that that sentence is an oxymoron!)

Mini Impossible Quiches - Makes 12

3 large eggs

1 cup of Milk (I used full cream)

1/2 cup of thickened cream (optional - you can just add half a cup extra milk instead if you like)

6 large broccoli florets chopped roughly

1 hand full of bacon pieces (or about a cup)

1 cup of cheese (I used tasty)

1 cup self raising flour

Oil spray (yes my lovely Woolies home brand again!)

1. preheat oven to 200C

2. Cook bacon for a couple minutes to your liking - i like mine well cooked. I used frozen broccoli so i cooked mine in the microwave until tender. Whisk together milk, flour, eggs and cream.

3. spray a cup cake tin with oil. Evenly portion the cheese, broccoli and bacon between cup cake moulds. Pour over egg/milk mixture.

4. Cook in oven for about ten minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Please please please don't over cook this as like any eggs, its horrible when its not light and fluffy.

Tada!! Mini Impossible Quiche! You can also do this in one dish and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes. I was quite surprised how easily these slipped out of the pan. I also like to sprinkle cheese over the top of the quiches because I'm a cheese-oholic.

Love and kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Can one family make a difference? Part 2

Update time! And i have some good news!!

My work has agreed to have a pink cupcake bake sale! I even have quite a few people offering to donate their cupcake making skills to the cause.

Hopefully we can get it going in our Melbourne and Brisbane offices (Canberra office doesn't seem to be the kind of office that is very interested in cupcakes!). I'm really pumped and i already have huge plans to make it fantastic!

I'll keep you updated with the plans and everything! Yay!!

love and kisses on both cheeks,
Sunny xxx

Marlboro Man's Second Favourite Sandwich

I'd like to inform you all that i am a legend.

I am a legend because I actually made dinner today! I was horrendously tired after work and wanted more than anything to curl up in front of the TV. But what did i do instead? I made a detour to Coles and bought the ingredients i didn't already have in my cupboard. I then lugged it all back home on the train and on the walk home from the train station while dodging spider webs. Pure legend material!

But the real hero of this story is Marlboro Man's Second Favourite Sandwich. My god was it good!!! I used fresh foccacia bread (By fresh i mean freshly bought from Coles not fresh from my oven!) and dijonaise sauce. I also used Jarlsberg cheese and nibbled at it the whole time!

I would seriously recommend this recipe and it was so quick and easy. It took me about half an hour from putting the bag of groceries on the table - which is saying something when your me!! (I'm a bit pedantic about my cooking and it stresses K out all the time!) Either way it was so good i could only take one or two pictures before the scent won me over!

^ Here is a snap of my stove top - That's the chicken after i just put it in the pan and to the side you can see my cooked bacon (mmm bacon) and my No Frills Cooking Oil Spray - what can i say, I'm all class :)

^ Here is the chicken half cooked - i had just put on the bacon and Jarlsberg cheese. Please note that my pan isn't as filthy as it looks! it is the grime created by the lemon & pepper seasoning and the bacon. Don't worry though, If you wash your pan after your done (or wait maybe 10 minutes like i did - the amount of time it takes to eat this yummy dinner!) than you wont have any problems cleaning the pan.

^ Voila! My Marlboro Man's Second Favourite Sandwich on Foccacia with Jarlsberg. Pure genius! This is my favourite sandwich now! So i say to you, go forth and cook sandwiches!!

Love and Kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Recipes Resolutions

I am constantly reading recipe after recipe in the hopes of finding something to cook for dinner and also something to please K (apparently my 'Australian' food is bland! huh! bland indeed!).

Lately I've been so busy with work, gym and other commitments that i have found myself eating less than nutritious meals - like instant mac n cheese and two minute noodles. I bet your all squirming at the sodium and carb levels of my recent diet!

No more! From now on i will at least attempt to cook a couple new meals a week. Here are this weeks Recipe Resolutions:

1. Marlboro Man’s Second Favorite Sandwich - from Pioneer Woman Cooks. it sounds great in its chicken-bacon-cheese goodness!! your probably all thinking: "didn't she say she wanted to stop eating junk?" but seriously, this is so tasty it makes the cut!

2. No pastry quiche - with bacon, cheese, broccoli and perhaps tomato's. either way its a bit of an experiment! hahaha.

3. Three Ingredient Scones - the recipe is from the book '4 Ingredients'. I've been going on about scones over the last week and i think i will take the plunge and try these! hmmm scones.... If anyone knows where to get a good scone cutter let me know!

Lets see how far i get with these ones! I'll post pictures (where possible - depends on how fast I eat) and give you a review of what they're like.

PS. My nose stud is starting to feel a bit normal now... less like i have a booger up my nose :)

love and kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Can one family make a difference? Part 1

OK, this is the kind of article that people will probably skip but I'm putting it up anyway! HA take that!!

Last year my (then) 11 year old little brother held a bake sale. I know what your thinking - is this a sign, a little boy wanting to hold a bake sale? but in fact it was for a great cause. He held it to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF).

Unfortunately for us and for millions of families like ours, our mother was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. Again unfortunately for us, it has progressed to many other places in her body including tumours in her spine and brain making it terminal. Fortunately for us, our mother is the most stubborn person in the world! She never lost her hair, still works building her own company and never let an 'illness' stop her being a human being.

The sad part here is my mother (who had me when she was a teenager - Just so i can make it clear I'm well past puberty and well past high school!) is only 38. She has had cancer for about 4 - 5 years. CHECK YOURSELF ladies! i cant stress it enough. Don't take any chances when it comes to your health.

You must see how proud i was of my little punk brother who thinks skateboarding is the only important thing in life. He talked to his principle and she agreed that it would be a good idea and tada! a bake sale was born. I don't remember the exact figure but they raised a few hundred dollars (a great effort considering he goes to a school with the population of about 100 students).

This made me think... if minion 2 (as i so aptly named him a couple years ago) can have so much passion to raise money for this cause, what the hell am i doing?? The answer is nothing. My Mentor once told me that if you want to change something then you have to DO something! So what can i do?

Upon some research as to what i can do to help i came across what other people were doing.

-Anyone who watches cricket will know that Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symmonds are definitely doing their part for the Aussie women. Together, the Aussie batting duo raised $14,580 for breast cancer research during the Ashes Test Series, using distinctive, specially made Pink batting grips in support of the cause.

-You can purchase a business shirt from MCM studio here and 5% from the sale of each Breast Cancer shirt will be donated.

- Jill plans to ski across Antarctica to raise $100,000 dollars for the NBCF find her website here.

- From November 2007, 5% from every wedding planning service provided by Dream Day Weddings will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Find there website here.

- Mr. Rose has created a Pink Classico shirt and will contribute 10% of the sales of this shirt to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Find their website here.

For the full list of the fundraising activities going on check here. One of my favourites is the couple who got everyone to wear a pink ribbon at their wedding. Great Idea!

Lately in the shops you can find a few things like Tim Tams, Moccona Coffee and Mount Franklin Water in pink bottles to raise money. I know my cupboards are full of pink products at the moment! hahaha. Oh and i love the OPI Pink of Hearts Nail Polish! For a full list of Pink Products click here.

With all these people stepping up and trying to make a difference I'm more inspired than before to do something. My main thought at the moment is my minion 2 inspired bake sale but on a bigger sale and with pink cupcakes, cookies and any other kinds of pink desserts i can think of! I'm going to putout my feelers and see what i can muster up!! Perhaps we can even get pink themed market's going somewhere!

Let me know your ideas - I'm always eager for suggestions!! Stay tuned for my findings and new ideas. Every cent counts!

Love and Kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Saturday Surprise - yes thats food

Saturday Surprise - wow that sound unappealing! sounds like when i lived in Sevilla, Spain and my host mum served up 'surprise' patties for dinner which made everyone in the house sick for a week! My surprise is better don't worry!
Saturday surprise is the name i give to those "whats in my fridge/pantry" recipes! Sometimes its Sunday Surprise and sometimes weekday surprise. It all depends on when i have those "oh crap i haven't been shopping in a while" moments.

Today's surprise is one of my best so far... its really yummy, and i say that with my mouth full of it. Here is a big of a dodgy pic -




and here is the recipe! Please note that this is a Ad-Hoc recipe so there are no set measurements.

Saturday Surprise - Bacon/Tomato Pasta


Ingredients:

Egg Noodles

Diced Bacon Pieces

about 6 vine ripened mini Roma tomato's (chopped to preffered size)

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic

a decent splash of red wine - i used Shiraz

Approx 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1/2 Cup of cream

sprinkling of 'Italian Herbs' (from a bottle)

1 heaped teaspoon of sugar

Parmesan cheese for serving (i like loads)

Nob of butter

Method:

1. Cook the egg noodles (any noodles will do but i prefer the texture of egg noodles) in salty water. Drain and put to the side.

2. In the same pan (at low-medium heat), pour in a good helping of oil and throw in minced garlic (i have jar of the stuff lying around just in case and used this).

3. Once the oil and garlic have had a minute to meld together add the chopped tomato's and let them fry for a little while. Pour in the red wine and let the tomato's soak it up.

4. Once the liquid has reduced a bit add in the diced bacon, Italian herbs, sugar and about two tablespoons of tomato paste. let this all fry and mix up together.

5. After a couple of minutes (when the bacon is cooked) add in cream and stir in. Add a nob of butter and an extra dash of salt then toss through the noodles.

Feel free to add whatever you like. It was so yum and I'm so full! I'm glad this surprise was a good one :) I've had a few dodgy ones!!! hahaha

Love and kisses on both cheeks,
Sunny xxx

Food i am absolutely LOVING right now!

1. Bags of lollies. My grandfather came over today and bought me a big bag of lollies from his trip to Melbourne. God bless him and his lolly hunting skills. The way to my heart is definitely through lollies - more specifically: Smarties, Pineapples, Strawberry & Cream's, Banana's and jersey caramels. Anything in that list that may have sounded like a fruit is most definitely not. Please do not turn up to my house with baskets of banana's and pineapples- they wont get the same reaction!

2. My Carbonara Pasta. Seriously its death by cream and god is it good. Always a winner when it comes to easy-peasy dinners and i promise you all next time i cook it i will definitely put up pictures and the recipe.

3. My killer baked potato's. No where will you find a crunchier potato that is still so moist on the inside. This one is a favourite with my partner for good reason. Its a must when it comes to comfort food!!

4. Pizza. As previously mentioned i had pepperoni pizza for dinner last nights dinner compliments of my chef Dominos.com. Loving their cheesy garlic bread at the moment!

5. Uncle Toby's Heathwise Digestive Yogurt (strawberry). Its supposed to be good for me. I haven't noticed anything new going on with my digestion but i have noticed it is totally yummers. PS. Strawberry is always the best flavour!!

6. Aunty Rina's mince & cheese toasted sandwiches. OK, so she's not actually MY aunt, she' my partners aunt but still, that woman can toast a sandwich. Most of her food has an Indian influence in it and she makes this delicious spiced beef mince and toasts leftovers in sandwiches with those old-school cheese slices (we used to call them plastic cheese at school!) and it is like 'So You Think You Can Dance' in your mouth. In other words.... freaking awesome.

7. My mums tomato sour cream chicken. Just brilliant. She makes it so tasty and goes down well after a hard day at the office!

8. Last but seriously the best... SCONES! there is a debate in my office at the moment on whether you should say them as sc-own-s or sc-on-s. Its quite a difference apparently! Scones with cream and strawberry jam is my most loved food group at this point in time.

EAT EAT EAT! and be merry of course!

Love and Kisses on both cheeks,
Sunny xxx

Gumboot Revival

Gumboots? you say. Yes gumboots. In all their plastic glory.

The brilliant idea of making gumboots fashionable again came to me on many of the wet days this summer (stupid global warming and its unpredictable weather) when i was walking along with frozen feet in my latest pair of ballet flats that had been ruined by the rain.

Thinking back one day on how many pairs of flats I've had made me realise the only reason I've ever thrown out a pair is because they were heart-breakingly destroyed by puddles of mass destruction!!!

Ergo, cue the gumboots. I'm looking forward to a winter of dry feet and un-destroyed shoes. Its gonna be great. My favourites (that i had found AGES ago and decided i would one day buy when my funds were more promising) are these two from http://www.stevemadden.com.au/

See how cute they would be to wear to work? Upon googling the topic i found some other related links. New Woman magazine (AS) had this on their web page. I also found an online department store called puddle beach (oddly fitting!) which had quite a range of them.

So i encourage you all go forth and preach the gospel of the Gumboot! and pray for a dryer winter than the summer just passed!

Love and kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

My Morning Pre-Work Make-Up Regime

I am always in a rush due to my love of a warm bed and sleep. So consequently i almost always end up doing my make-up on the train on the way to work. Its about a forty minute trip and i usually have it done in about 10 minutes give or take how awake i am!

I start off with my moisturiser - I use OLAY Complete Defence SPF30+ Daily UV Moisturising Lotion (75ml - for normal skin but it also comes in sensitive skin). I love the fact that this has SPF30+ UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection as being as fair as i am you get an appreciation for sunscreen! I really like it as its light, non-greasy formula with vitamin E, aloe and green tea extract absorbs quickly into your skin to replenish moisture, without leaving skin greasy. I have had many trials and tribulations with moisturisers but this one is a keeper. It is definitely light enough to use everyday and never too heavy. I use it all year round (as the sun's harmful rays can burn you just as much in winter as it can in summer) and i have had no problems with it.

Step 1: Apply moisturiser liberally to face making sure you don't forget the neck and decolletage and of course don't forget your ears and behind your ears. Wait at least 1 minute before applying next layer to give the moisturiser time to soak in.

Next is my Primer. I use Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot. Scientifically formulated to allow your makeup to “automatically” glide over the skin, Auto Pilot helps to prime and soothe the complexion for that flawless finish and helps makeup last even longer. I also find it very hydrating.

Step 2: Apply a thin layer of primer to skin covering all areas covered with moisturiser excepting ears on this one. Remember with a good primer a little will always go a long way. Wait at least one minute before putting on next layer to allow primer to do its job and give you a smooth base.

Next is your green concealer (if you have red skin or are prone to looking a la tomato like me). I use a cover girl green concealer which is in lipstick style packaging. I haven't as yet found one green concealer better than any others but i do know Napoleon Perdis has one, as does most other large makeup brands.

Step 3: Use your fingers or a sponge to conceal your reddest part, for me its my cheeks and the sides of my nose. Don't worry that your face is green, it wont show under your makeup. I use quite a thin layer as i hate that 'caked on' look. Also, a quick note that green concealer can show up under black lights looking like bruising. So avoid it when going to raves or possibly disco bowling :) And again wait a good minute or two to let it grab hold of your skin.

Finally we reach foundation. I use Napoleon Perdis Minimal Make-up in Look B1. I have mountains of trouble with foundations as my skin is so fair. Finally i went into a NP store and asked if they had anything that could match. Believe it or not they did. It was love at first sight from the first moment i looked in the mirror. Its a barely-there foundation that gives a light flawless coverage that doesn't appear cakey. Perfect!

Step 4: Use either a brush or sponge ( i would very much advise against fingers as it tends to lend an extra oiliness to your foundation and you also get yucky hands afterwards!) to cover your face evenly all the way down to the base of your neck and slightly behind your ears. Take your time and do it right. Also try and apply it somewhere with natural light or at least good light so you can see where the make up cakes or clumps and needs to be smoothed out. Once you have done this wait a good two minutes at least for it to smooth into the shape of your face. And that also gives you a couple minutes to make sure its perfect. I cannot stress enough the importance of BLENDING!!!

Now is a great time to apply your skin coloured concealers. I also wait until now to apply my yellow concealer under my eyes to avoid any bags or purple-ness that appears and also to apply some extra coverage in a tone matching your skin to red areas and pimples, zits etc. I use Napoleon Perdis Pro Palette Concealer. I find this to be quite good but i haven't tried a huge amount of others before. But it has three colours - a yellow tinged one which i use under my eyes and dark and light tinged palettes with the idea that you can use them to blend the right colour for you anytime of the year no matter how tanned or fair you are.

Step 5: smooth a little yellow over purple under eyes or puffy under eyes. Smooth some concealer mixed to match your skin colour over any nasty things you want to hide!

After the crucial concealing step i use a great pressed powder. Its Napoleon Perdis Camera Finish in Look 3 (Look 3 is fabulous for anyone with the above mentioned redness as it has a green under colour). Its a silk-finish powder foundation compact 3-in-1 that conceals, covers and sets. Me and a couple girls have spent our lunches preaching the gospel of this product. It is great for days when you don't want to wear makeup but you do have to venture out of the house. I simply put on some camera finish, lip gloss and big sunnies and I'm ready!

Step 6: Using a large brush - I prefer NP's bronzing brush as its lasted me ages and it very rarely sheds - pick up some pressed powder and apply evenly over foundation. I like to bring it all the way down to where my top starts (usually showing some cleavage) to make the foundation look less obvious. Make sure you have given yourself a nice even coverage just as you did when putting on your foundation.

OK so we are almost done now. The rest are kind of extras you can choose and change at your own pace. I like to include:

Step 7: Apply your YSL Touche Eclat in two small triangles under your eyes. Then blend using a finger up to your eye line and down about a quarter way of your cheek.

Most people use their YSL Touche Eclat completely wrong! do not use it as a concealer unless you have perfect skin as it is too thin. Its an illuminator not actually a concealer. Use it after your pressed powder and it will illuminate your whole under eye area. Trust me you will end up loving it just as i did! For a more in depth explanation check out how Fruit Beauty explained it at http://www.fruitybeauty.com.au/ and check November posts.

I finish my make-up look off with some liner and a lavender eyeshadow to bring out my fair eyes and some of my fav gloss and liner from Face of Australia. Its a steal at something like $3.50 or something equally crazy. My shade of love is Jasmine (lip gloss pot and liner) i bought mine from priceline. I'm not a huge fan of blush on myself but that's just me.

Anyway go wild with your make up and try something new! Also a huge encouragement to go and try makeup before purchase!

Quick Note: Napoleon Perdis has a store at Hornsby where i find the service appalling. The girls would much rather talk to their friends on the phone/in the store than serve you even if your the only person in the store. However Chatswood NP girls are MEGA helpful and great. Also Hornsby DJ's has a great NP counter - talk to Kat there and she will hook you up with a gorgeous new style.

Happy shopping Sunnylanders...

Love and kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Lazy Saturdays

Its Saturday morning and I'm sitting at my desk in my PJ's watching cartoons. Yes, you would think i was 5. I also happen to be eating left over pizza for breakfast - a sin I'm guilty for whenever we get pizza which is quite rarely. The flavour is Toni pepperoni and a piece of leftover garlic bread. I bet my partner is thrilled about garlic breath :)

I love it. There is something about a lazy weekend that melts my heart! The thought of not rushing anywhere or doing anything of great importance is sooo relaxing. You'll often find me on a Saturday rushing around to all my beauty appointments (I'm a tiny bit of a workaholic and therefore never have time on a weekday!) which are usually never near my home and at ungodly hours when they have a free spot. I do love to get my beauty treatments i find it very soothing and confidence boosting (come on girls, how much does a great hair colour perk up your day!) but its also quite nice slouching around without make-up on!

Therefore this weekend will probably consist of cleaning and washing and eating yummy cooked goods (my work mates have been bugging me for brownies but it seems unlikely they will make it past my family!).

With Easter also coming up i have been booking my flights to Melbourne (it feels i am always in Melbourne and i absolutely HATE flying!) and trying to figure out exactly how early you can buy the eggs. A week before? A month before? what if they melt on a hot day? If i put them in the fridge will they get white marks? Lindt or Cadbury????? so many chocolate related questions... hmmm chocolate... perhaps a chocolate mousse would go down well this weekend?

Back on the topic - lazy Saturday (as apposed to a lazy Sunday) is my day of catching up on everything i let slip over the past fortnight like my bills that haven't been filed or my room that needs a good vacuum! Well... enough procrastination. Time to get my clean on :)



Hope you all have a lovely Saturday!

Love and kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

I am a big sook + Nose bling Luurve

OK, strange way to start a post i know but yesterday evening i got my nose pierced. Let me tell you the story.....

It started as a lovely night of late night shopping with one of my BFF's Maya. We were laughing and enjoying the night markets and some killer deals like our matching gorgeous scarves!! (Your thinking MATCHING??! but yes, matching. It was such a gorgeous scarf for such a good price we jumped in to the tweedle-dee tweedle-dum part of our friendship and took the plunge!).

ANYWAY.... we were happily strolling through the shops when my girlfriend from work Em sent me a message saying she had gotten her nose pierced, naturally i screamed "stay exactly where you are we are coming to see what it looks like!" Away we ran to Starbucks to see her new nose bling. Needless to say it looked great as she is gorgeous and could wear a potato sack like a pro.

Somehow in the next 30 seconds my friend Maya and my work mates convinced me to get my nose pierced. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good nose ring but i am freakishly afraid of needles, bugs and anything to do with pain. I am the biggest sook ever! Probably not the best seeing as i live in the country holding nearly every one of the worlds most deadliest animals, insects and crawly things.

Anyway my friend Em is a big fat liar. She told me it was a small prick. liar liar liar is all i have to say! hahaha.

The lady told me to lay down on the bed (OK, that should have been a giveaway!) and then goes "I'm going to put this big cold metal tube into your nose" naturally i said yes. The rest i cant really describe because my eyes were shut tightly and my hands were grabbing the sides of the doctor-like examination table. OH MY GOSH that needle hurts!!! I obviously swore like a sailor and was later told my pain was as obvious as Michael Jackson's plastic surgery.

Then i thought to myself "its OK, the worst is over, we can make it through this!" she tells me that there will be some very slight uncomfortableness as she threads in the stud. Slight uncomfortableness my ass!!!! it was as painful as the piercing! Can you see why i am the worlds biggest sook now? i bet your nodding your head and agreeing with my childishness! LOL

In the end it looks great and feels a bit like i have something in my nose and still a bit tender. I love it! its very 'me' i think. Honourable mention goes to Lord of the Jewels in Chatswood Westfield where i got it done. The lady was extremely nice and was cracking up laughing at my screaming and scardycat-ness! They also had a great range of rings to buy that were crazily well priced and gorgeous. My favourite is the crystal star that is oh so tiny yet so sparkly! i will be paying the $5.00 for one of these after my six weeks of pain is up hahaha.

Hmmm my new major Idol and also nose-bling-love mentor is Joss Stone - I love everything about her and think she is fabulous. Funny Fact: Victoria Beckham mentions a fashion no-no in her book when she wore a dress that was way to small for her and it burst open in the bathrooms and all of a sudden someone came to her rescue with safety pins and fixed her up, when she looked behind her it turned out it was JOSS STONE! see- she really is awesome... and I'm so obsessed with her hair!

PS. I also had a scone afterwards... i just had to mention how much i love warm scones with strawberry jam and cream... melt in your mouth goodness! It so made the pain worth it...

Love and Kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Victoria Beckham - That Extra Half an Inch

I recently went shopping with one of my BFF's and we both bought a copy of Victoria Beckham's new book "That extra half an inch". My boss did mention that it may be a book he would like to read until he realised it was about fashion! hahaha. - PS. It refers to shoes having an extra half an inch.

I know Victoria has received a lot of criticism (partially from me) but I'm completely turned around! I thought at first this was going to be a book of a million and one things I already knew or had already read, but believe it or not- I was wrong! its actually quite informative and well set out. Its a book that can be enjoyed from a school girl to a mature (there is no OLD in my vocabulary!) aged woman. Its broken up into 11 main chapters.

• Jeans & Trousers


• Tops
  
• Skirts & Day Dresses
  
• Accessories
  
• Parties
  
• Vacations
  
• Winter
  
• Special Occasions
  
• Pregnancy & Post Pregnancy
  
• Lingerie
  
• Hair & Make-up

I'm so glad she devoted a chapter to winter as I think its the season where most fashion is on show (instead of summer where all you want to do is rip off your clothes and not in the way my partner would like!). Winter is also the season sneaking up on me at the moment in lovely Sydney!

The book has a lot of artwork which I LOVE in a fashion book and also has a recap at the end of each chapter on every product and type of clothing she has mention - again a brilliant idea for people like me that get to the end and go "wait where was that cream she recommended?? Or those tips for a smooth backside??". Now while all the shops she mentions are London stores a few of them do have online shops or can simply be found on eBay! (eBay is my life!). All through the book are quotes from her designer friends about her and subtle pushes towards her new fashion line. This does usually annoy me in a book but not so in this case.

I was really glad to see that she was realistic about the price of products she suggested. While some of them were reaching the triple zero's (in other words WAY out of my budget) she did include a lot of regular priced items which proves my theory - Money doesn't equal beauty or youth (unless you have a great plastic surgeon).

In summary - I am now proud to say I am a Victoria fan. I enjoyed the book quite a lot and would recommend it to my friends. 4/5 total score- She lost a point for me not living in the UK. I bought my copy from Borders and it set me back about $AU35.00.

Love and kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Eyelash Extensions - Friend or Foe?

Hey lovelies!

I have been getting eyelash extensions for about 6 months now. Eyelash extensions are the newest IT thing and EVERYONE has them at the moment (celebrity-wise that is) from J-Lo's mink extensions to Dita Von Teese's sexy retro inspired extensions.
I have wanted them for ages and I spent about a month researching them before Iactually went for it. But this was harder than I thought as not many places in Australia do eyelash extensions (why wasn't I born in Japan or Korea??WHY???).
I found helpful reviews on the vogue forums and a few other random places but nothing hugely substantial. Anyway I thought I would provide some insight for those wanting to get the gorgeous look of luscious lashes!
Anyway I searched around until I found Karen who works from her home in Gordon. I sent her an email and asked her loads and loads of questions (as I had visions of walking out with either no eyelashes whatsoever or lash's that made me look like a clown!). She was very patient and went through everything with me.
I turned up at Karen's home for my first extensions experience. She was lovely and I got along with her really well. She led me into her home salon which was very clean and tidy (which is what you should look for in a beauty salon or any where that gives you a beauty treatment) and told me to lay down on the salon bed.
She then got to work tinting my eyelash's first so the extensions would blend with them perfectly. She attaches each individual lash separately and it feels slightly like someone is playing with your eyelashes but mostly I felt nothing.
In total it took about 2 hours as it was my first time. I got the glamour set which was $150.00 but the usual set only costs $100.00. Infills cost me $50.00 and I get them dome every two - three weeks (but this really depends on how fast your eyelash's fall out). The extensions come in 3 sizes - short, medium and long. I get long because I love the retro glam look!
The end result was gorgeous and I felt like a million dollars! people always comment on how gorgeous my lashes are and I knowingly thank them and give myself a pat on the back for thinking of getting them done!
The upkeep isn't too bad in my opinion. I use a special mascara and makeup remover as they advise against using anything oil-based on the lash's, as it somehow affects the glue. The mascara set me back $30.00 and the make up remover about $25.00. they can bend to a funny direction if I sleep on them funny and if your one of those people who constantly rub your eyes you may not like them as much as they do feel slightly stiffer than normal lash's. I had no problem with them though and I haven't met anyone else who has.
Karen also provides other beauty services - she's my eyebrow guru at the moment! She has a legion of fans that trek all the way to Gordon from far away places to see her but she can always make room for a new client. Her web page is http://www.beautyinhealth.com.au/beauty-in-health-index.htm but I would encourage you to speak to any beauty therapist before deciding to choose.
Feel free to share past beauty experiences and I'd love to hear other peoples reviews of their extensions! Oh and here is a picture of mine - it was taken a little while ago but you get the gist!

Love and kisses on both cheeks,
Sunny xxx

My new favourite OPI

Okay, I'll admit it. My name is Sunny and I'm an OPI addict.

I love the way the OPI polish lasts, it's gorgeous finish and HUGE range of colours. I have a problem.

Seeing as nearly all the women in my immediate and extended families are Beauticians and my mum is a nail artist, I am well versed in the ways of the nail. And after trial and error with many other brands I find that I always come back to my first love- OPI.

My newest OPI fix is GORGEOUS!!!!! Its called Azure for Sure and it was part of the Brights Collection. While its been around for a while - blue nail polish hasn't been as fashionable until now.

The colour is this shimmery two-tone blue that actually ends up the same on your nails! (yes, a feat that many a nail polish hasn't achieved!). I'm looking down at my fingers now as I'm typing and I love it. Love love love.

I will admit it did take me three (thin) coats rather than two but that extra five minutes dry time was sooooo worth it!

I am also seriously considering giving it my Aunt named Azure but not so sure she would jump on the blue wagon with me. But either way it gets a 5/5 from me. Seriously if I didn't have a life this whole blog would be totally dedicated to this nail polish. Or to nail polish in general LOL.

My other faves atm from OPI (you will see me wearing these non stop!) are:

La Paz-itively Hot: a really bright fuchsia with just the right amount of sparkle (which is little) and

Senorita Rose-alita: A beautiful moody pink with a gold shimmer through it that just screams Bollywood to me!

Let me know what you think of my faves or feel free to introduce me to yours!

Love and kisses on both cheeks,

Sunny xxx

Welcome to Sunnyland

Welcome all you gorgeous people!

Today is the official opening of Sunnyland - a place where there are no strangers and everyone is welcome.
The main focus of Sunnyland community is to provide a wonderful forum for us all to share our knowledge and help each other out. I have, on more than one occasion, gone to a few of my internet idols to lap up their advice and lifestyle... i ony hope that i can pass it all on to you lovely citizens!
For a peek at who inspires me take a look at my "While out of town..." section. Lots of places for you all to holiday!
I hope you enjoy your stay at Sunnyland and let me know how i can make your stay more comfortable.
I look forward to seeing you all around the village!

Love and kisses on both cheeks,
Sunny xxx