Butter Nail Polish thanks to Instyle Magazine

So, I've been crushing on Butter Nail Polish, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any stockist in Perth, so when I found that Instyle Magazine gave away a FREE FULL SIZE 11mL BUTTER NAIL POLISH in two different colours - baby pink and hot red, I had to buy the magazine, and of course the fact that I haven't had my fashion fix in a while. Satisfying two of my desires. Can't go wrong. 

So I have the colour a whirl and painted it over the weekend, especially seeing as my Sally Hansen - wine coloured nails were chipped and I wanted something voom voom for the fashion festival. 

The colour and the pigment is amazing! The Pillar Red Butter Nail Polish is brilliantly bright, shiny and I can't seem to stop staring at it. 

In fact if you run the polish through paper the pigment can stain the paper in a little crayon red. The colour hasn't chipped although my of my nail has! and sorry for my unruly paint on the left hand!

Now I just need to find a stockist in Perth or one on the web that posts to Perth for free. Anyone of any?

Ae'lkemi

I am going to go to the Ae'lkemi show on tonight as part of Perth Fashion Festival and cannot wait!!!

Designer, Alvin Fernandez makes such beautiful, amazing dresses and I haven't found one dress of his that doesn't flatter a female figure, or isn't wonderfully designed.

I really can't wait to see it! And to top it off... I got myself a new camera lens for chiro!! (my Dslr camera)..

Now to only figure out what to wear..
Too much choice and not sure what style I feel like dressing up as.. All I know is I don't want to look as though I've thought about it too much or have tried too hard...

In another note I have rediscovered my shoe collection...

915 days later

I love that you still have this effect, even after 900 odd days.

beautiful silence

Date night

Bf and I have date nights where we spend time together as a couple minus our friends and family (not that we mean that we don't love being in their company as a couple, but you know you need your own couple time). So a few weeks (to a month?) back we went to see the Mousetrap (a murder mystery) on stage, at His Majesty Theatre.

The Mousetrap, a Agatha Christie novel (not the mousetrap game nor the kid's movie!), was really quite a spectacular show. It has been running for 60 years (this is their 60th year!). Like I said before it's a murder mystery and the answer to "who dunnit?" question is asked to be kept as a secret after each show so that it can be enjoyed by others. You can't even Wikipedia it! Trust me! Anyway, the show is much faster paced that I imagined with bits of humour through all the seriousness of the murder. The best bit is trying to guess the twist (and believe it or not we got it right!). If it comes back to Perth you really should go and see it, otherwise it's still running on Broadway and West End and will be travelling to New Zealand.

  

The set of the Mousetrap @ His Majesty's Theatre

OLIVER'S RESTAURANT on James Street

 

Before the show the we had dinner at Oliver's Restaurant on James street in Northbridge, which was something bf wanted to go back and try and we really did enjoy it last time we were there. Unfortunately, this time around it was rather disappointing (and they still have this strange fascination with sprouts!!)

We ordered an entree special - a prawn ravioli dish. It came out and the presentation was rather clumsy. They gave us THREE huge pieces of ravioli and it looked like well.. something threw up, but I guess at least it smelt good.  

 

The prawn ravioli special.

But apart from the dish smelling beautiful, this was where it ended. The pasta was not cooked and you can clearly tell it wasn't by the fact that it still tasted like dough! and when you look at it, it was still that uncooked dough colour, EXCEPT they have tried to hide it with their yellow sauce. EPIC FAIL. 

 

I think it's rather unacceptable that this was to happen. But hoped that this was just a lapse (not that that's an excuse! especially seeing as it was the special!).

Our mains consisted of their regular a la carte menu of pork belly for the boy and the fish special for me. 

Pork belly

Bf enjoyed his dish although the crackling wasn't too crackled, the pork was succulent and the sauce matched well, although he did wish there was more.

The fish special of snapper with bacon pieces and scallops on the other hand, although cooked well, not overcooked, had this very strong fishy smell that you sometimes get when the fish is off or starting to be and I just hope that wasn't the case (I didn't get food poisoning so it wasn't the case!). I couldn't fish the meal though because of the smell, it just got to me too much.  The scallops on the other hand were cooked perfectly.

The fish special

It really was a disappointment that the meal was rather lack-luster and in fact bordering failing and to top it off the waiters tried to charge us for distilled water which we didn't have. Pity because we had such a good time the last two occasions we went to Oliver's.

THE MOON CAFE

 

After watching Mousetrap we hunted for a dessert place in the city, (not a cake place - because then we would have ventured to No. 44 King Street Cafe) which did not exist much to our disappointment.  So we drove into Northbridge and sat at the Moon and ordered our dessert of mud cake for the boy and the Afghan cookie for me. 

The Moon's chocolate mud cake with ice cream

The mud cake was rather heavenly and was not dense like it traditionally is but the hot chocolate sauce it came with was the perfect match to the ice cream and cake.

The Afghan Cookie

The Afghan cookie is a biscuit with a punch with pecan nuts mixed through it. It was crunchy and has this wonderful nutty flavour to it. It's divine with the chocolate sauce and ice cream. It made the night.

The great thing about the Moon is the fact that it provides hearty food in the dead of the night (and decent food at that) and has a great range of desserts including dessert pizza (big enough to satisfy all sweet tooth). It's chilled and filled with backpacker waiters. The service isn't the best but the vibe and love is there.

Overall, the night date was just the perfect bit of culture, excitement, disappointment and delight. The perfect way to spend it with my boy.

Little Willy's

Northbridge during daylight is so lovely. It's really shaping up to be a rather nice area to chill out and catch up. There are so many new and quaint (Gosh I've been using that word a lot!) cafes popping up and lovely brunch areas. One of the "newest" addition is Little Willy's. You notice them by the colourful sidewalk seats with a vintage bicycle and umbrellas, the only one of it's kind on William Street.

Little Willy's is a small and narrow space with a standout moose on one wall, mint green table in the middle, red vinyl sittings and general mismatched of recycled furniture. They provide cakes, coffee, milkshake, hot chocolate (chilli ones too), and teas, along with breakfast options.

Since it was about 4 o'clock on a Thursday and after rummaging through Northbridge many boutiques we decided to take a break over a chai latte tea with warm milk in a mini-milk bottle (HOW CUTE!), a mocha and for myself chilli hot chocolate.

The Chilli hot chocolate on the right - with two mashmallows, sure has a punch! The hit of just the right amount of spice followed by chocolaty goodness ending with just a bit of hot sensation on your tongue. Rather enjoyable. You should try it. Although I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of chocolate. If you however, like chilli chocolate you would love this!

Over all Little Willy is the perfect place to chill, have a cuppa and a long chitter chatter about nothings and yet everythings. Or to even just look at the deco and people watch those that come in and those that walk by. I think next time I'll like to try their cakes.

I Love Thy Neighbour!

 

Another brunch date with the girls this morning, although our arrangement to meet at 11am didn't go according to plan, with Wells being late for 2 hours (well if you are going to be late might as well do it in style!) and I myself being late half hour. Luckily, Love thy Neighbour is one of those lovely, quaint hideaways that offer warm service and allows you (and you want to) to sit on hours on end drinking coffee, eating food and just catching up. 

Located on Arcade 189 on William street, just behind Ezra Pound, with a car park facing it's "take out" window, Love Thy Neighbour is filled with love.

Wooden tables and chairs line the interior and scattered around the entrance of the arcade, as well as facing the car park. It just finished renovating a week ago and they have yet to get an oven, which is a huge pity because we were unable to have our fritters! The interior is rather plain but wood contrasts and warms nicely with the black walls. 

 

The outside has a huge mural painting, that you barely notice that there is a car park behind you. 

The best thing about this place is that it provides lovely, smooth, Toby coffee, of course made with love. And to top it off their menu is rather fairly priced and offers New York style cafe foods, consisting of Bagels, Jaffles, New York Rueban Sandwich, Flatini and a bit of nod to Asian cuisine - Vietnamese Rolls. They also have a small range of cakes from Rochelle Adonis, cheesecake, brownies and macaroons. 

  

 

As we were waiting for Wells, SM and I had drinks and dessert - to start backwards on our brunch date. I grabbed myself a coffee and cheesecake, and SM had peppermint tea and chocolate butterfly cake with caramel. I couldn't finish the cheesecake as it was rather rich, but oh so good! The butterfly cake also had a lovely texture and was fluffy and moist. A good way to start the day I think!

 Even after finishing our cakes, Wells still hasn't come, so with her blessing to grab some food and after much debate and mutters, SM had her ham, cheese and tomato jaffle and I had the smoke salmon, cream cheese and dill bagel. 

There was a choice of few different types of bagel; plain, poppyseed, rye and another one I can't remember. I told them to surprise me so out comes the rye. It was toasted and warm and there was a nice spread of cream cheese and the salmon was fresh. For something relatively small, it was absolutely filling and satisfying. Nothing else was needed.

SM seemed to have enjoyed her ham, cheese and tomato jaffle and whipped her plate clean.

When Wells finally arrived our plates were cleared already. She ordered the salmon bagel and SM also wanted to try the honey soy grilled pumpkin flatini so we grabbed one, despite my stomach being full. It was to share. I had a few bites and wasn't able to finish my third but it was rather yummy.

 

Love Thy Neighbour is a great local place to grab coffee, cake and a quick cheap bite of lunch or brunch. They service is lovely, attentive and as it's still rather new it wasn't too busy and not too packed, even during the lunch rush, which is nice. To top it off it was so nice of our coffee man to give us a brownie! =D

 We are determined to come back especially when they get their oven as we all really wanted the FRITTERS. Rather disappointed that it wasn't available today, but hey the bagels are awesome and I felt as though I had a little bit of New York in little ole Perth.

Upmarket finds

Every quarter, as the weather changes, the Winthrop hall at UWA hosts one of the biggest and local art, craft, designer and food market called the Upmarket. It supports local businesses by helping them make a name for themselves in what I'm sure is a hard climate for retailers and new and small business owners.

Last Upmarket was winter season and I had an opportunity to have a quick look and discovered two local clothing designers. One which makes beautifully fitted and tailored dresses in mod-styling and bit on the vintage/retro side, Petra Vanessie (she has a Facebook page so do search her). If you want to try any of her designs, her studio and shop is in Ascot and you can make an appointment to do so.

I tried the blue one on and its beautiful but the length is that funny in between length for me as I'm so vertically challenged! 5 feet and the most important 1/2 inch sucks sometimes!

 

The other one is House of Zaccaria. Their blazers this season has been huge and Zara Bryson in Claremont stocks some of their range or you can shop online. Currently their winter collection is on sale. The House of Zaccaria pieces are elegant, sexy and are made from lovely fabric that hugs or drapes over all the right places.

I grabbed myself a dress from their collection and had the pleasure of wearing it when I went to the theatre to see The Nutcracker on Ice. This photo doesn't do much justice and it's rather elegant but with just the right amount of spice and modern twist to it. What's even better is that it'd last more than just one season. I hate when clothes date and I always believe in buying something classic with a hint of the current trend incorporated into it. In this dress, it's the leather collar.

If you get a chance, Upmarkets is worth going to, the next one is in September 23rd from 10am to 4pm. Go check it out, there is something for everyone. And if you don't buy something there always cupcakes, cheese and food to try!

Ps. Petra Vanessie will be showcasing her spring collection then and from what I see on facebook the prints and material are so pretty.

Bivouac Canteen and Bar made for 3 ladies of leisure!

It's not everyday that I get to be a lady of leisure mid-week through a working week and I plan to take advantage of it fully, especially when two of my favourite gals were also available. We were to have a very New York day, getting our nails done, then eating bagels and jaffas, with cupcakes thrown in between great coffee - doing it all in Little ole Perth, very much far from New York and very much a different vibe of New York.

Alas, our bagel place was closed for renovations (how could I have forgotten that?!) and seeing as Bivouac was on my to eat list we decided it was the best time to go and try it out.

Bivouac Canteen and Bar is located on William Street, part of the newly refurbished Heath Ledger art centre area, opposite Jus Burgers and Arcade 189. It's a quaint little place with simple, uncomplicated decorations and setting with splashes of artworks (which I'm pretty sure is rotated often with different local artists adorning its walls). It's so chilled and relaxed and the staff are ever so friendly and welcoming (which I am so glad for, considering the last couple of places I've been to the service and staff have been appalling or very much not present).

Their menu changes every 2-3 weeks and at times even includes a secret special dish! They food consists of inspired Moroccan/Middle Eastern inspired and fusion Mediterranean dishes, which means it's full of hearty goodness, flavour and spices. The menu has little meals meant for sharing as well as having bigger meals for those who don't like to share. We opted for three bigger meals to taste and share seeing as tapas style dishes just didn't seem right on a lovely day off.

Before our food was ordered Wells and I opted for a glass of red from their rather enticing list of drinks, whilst SM ordered a glass of bubbly. Yes this was at 1pm in the afternoon.

We started off with a serve of homemade fries with beautiful truffle infused aioli. BOY can you taste and smell the truffle in it and it was amazing. This dish really wasn't needed, but it was well worth getting for the truffle aioli. 

I was craving so much for pan-fried gnocchi and seeing one the menu I had to have it. The gnocchi was light, fluffy with a bit of bite to it. With the kale, stracchino, pine nuts adding the dimension of crunch along with the sweetness of the raisins it was made to almost satisfy my craving. Except, I still think that their gnocchi wasn't perfect and I would say Cantina edged ahead a little to be the winner. But it was still delicious and light but carbohydrate satisfying =D. Maybe a bit of salt was needed or just a dash of oil so it wasn't dry.

Pan-friend Gnocchi with Kale, Stracchino, Pine Nuts, Raisins, Soft herbs

Then there was the lovely okra and freekeh risotto with confit cherry tomato, mushrooms, truffle oil and taleggio. It was creamy, the mushroom with truffle oil - how can that not be match made in heaven? This meal was hearty, creamy goodness. What the gnocchi lacked in salt and punch the risotto made up for it. It hit the spot. Unfortunately the photo may not be that pretty. I don't know how you can possibly make risotto look pretty.

Okra and Freekeh risotto, confit cherry tomato, mushrooms, truffle oil taleggio

Since our meals were mainly vegetarian, we opted for the secret dish - the seared tuna with crusted with coriander and peppercorn, saffron vanilla fondante potatoes, tonka bean mayo and jamon crumb.

The tonka bean mayo was rather delicious and add the dash of lime to the tuna and the dish was pretty satisfying. Although I don't know if I was a fan of the jamon crumb. 

 

seared bluefin tuna crusted w coriander and peppercorn, saffron vanilla fondante potatoes, tonka bean mayo and jamon crumb.

The only big disappointment in our meal was that we were unable to have our dessert as we were all running late for our manicures. But that just means that we have to go back. And why wouldn't we? The service was attentive, friendly and chatty and yet weren't intrusive. They were patient with one of us running late and Wells and I only ordering drinks to start and then when all three of us were there they were again patient with our inability to make up our minds about what meals we wanted. The food was yum. The wine list well chosen. The desserts sounded amazing.

Overall, Bivouac is a great addition to the food scene in Perth and can't wait to try more of their dishes. I think I be bringing the boy here to try it. I think he'll love the gnocchi, minus the pine nuts (I don't want to kill him!)

 

breathe

These shadows wont budge.

Doubts enter my mind.

Eyes adjust to the darkness.

Heart holds onto faith.

 keep calm and carry on.

Happy Father's Day!

My dad loves seafood and when he gets a chance eating fish head is a delicacy and something that he enjoys.

This is the head of a tooth fish and he is greatly disappointed in it's lack of "meat" (most fish heads apparently are full of fish to eat).

Mum thinks it would have made better soup..

Personally I couldn't eat it..

explore

If only I had the guts to just give up everything and take the plunge.

Aurelio Costarella

Perth designer Aurelio Costarella (who dresses Rihanna, Melissa George, Kradashian sisters) has a pop-up store in the new print-houses and it's in its last week of opening before returning to their store on View street in North Perth (called Post Emporium).

I finally had the chance to pop in the store the other day (usually I work everyday and having an RDO is nice like that; gives you a chance to explore). Everything in the store was on sale - massively on sale.

Although I shouldn't be spending money seeing as I have bills up to my ears to pay I couldn't help it but get this dress - especially seeing as it was over 50% off and was such a simple, elegant design, but oh so hot!

The dress doesn't include the belt, but hey it'd look good with any wide belt. It comes in black, ivory, white and bronze.

Now I have to clean out my wardrobe and have to start ebaying and going to the markets and selling clothing I don't wear anymore.

You will come visit when I start selling won't you? My clothes are in the best of conditions!