Film Star

As I mentioned in my last post, on Monday afternoon I headed to the set of  'The Sapphires'. The feature film is about an all-female quartet of soul singers who visit various military base camps and entertain the soldiers during the Vietnam war. Situated outside of Camden, in the beautiful countryside, getting to the set was challenging enough! Luckily Luce, who joined me for this adventure, sort of knew her way around...









Once there, we were put through costume and make up (basically baby oil and black paint - the mortal combat look):








After shooting a few scenes of us, soldiers, cheering on as the soul singers performed, we got down to business. The 'under attack' scenes were exhilarating to say the least. Real M60s firing off, pyrotechnics which mimicked bomb explosions and a tanker bombarding the night sky - it was a real war zone. And if running under a real military chopper which had just lifted off doesn't get your heart racing, I don't know what does!! Unfortunately cameras were not allowed on set. 







Despite the long hours and the freezing cold at night, this was a lovely experience. I got to see the countryside, stay in a beautiful country house (for a few hours) and made some new friends. That's it for now folks. Check back in a week for a new post from your truly.


Fighting Stress at Uni

Hello dear readers!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but as most of you would know, uni life can be so stressful! Hence I'm going to give you a few stress busters that I've been reading about lately. Hope it helps you, whatever you may be stressing about!
Feeling stressed out?!
1.) Take study breaks. Using up all your energy on 'study marathons' leaves your body and mind less able to cope with the stress that comes from worrying about .... you guessed it - studying! Taking a 10-20 minute walk around the block will do the trick.

2.) Brain power. Our minds often wonder off into the future or get stuck in the past. Worrying about your next exam while studying for the one that's tomorrow creates anxiety. Help your mind stay in the present by meditating for about 20 minutes a day. Focus on your breathing and bring your mind back from the future/past.

3.) Write to-do lists. This is my favourite and I promise you it works. List down all the things you need to do for a set period of time (today, this week, this month, etc). Now prioritize the important tasks and postpone those that can wait. This helps you stay focused and reduces anxiety. Try it.
Going for a walk...
4.) Sleep well. Yep, we all know this one. Sleep is vital for, well, everything! Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night (a little secret: the sleep you get before midnight is so much better for your body). Living on campus? Noisy flatmates? Get some earplugs and an eyeshade - does wonders for me. If not you can always complain to those in charge.

5.) Eat well too. When we are stressed we get major cravings for carbohydrates (after all they do relieve stress temporarily). However, eating junk food and loads of sugary and fatty treats can leave you feeling not so good afterwards. Eating healthy when you don't have much time and cash isn't that hard - low fat greek yoghurt, fruits, cheese strings.... you get it.
Sometimes we crave food when we aren't really hungry (stress again!). Instead of distracting yourself with loads of food, go for a walk, read you favourite blog (cue: my blog) or a short magazine article. Any enjoyable activity should help you banish the mindless eating.
Home-made smoothies with fresh fruit! Yummy!
6.) Take 5. Spare five minutes of your time to: make your bed, clear your desk, listen to music, sniff a lemon (which reduces the body's fight-or-flight stress response) or just unplug all electronics. Doing these things will help you create a positive study environment, make you smile and simply take your mind off things (for 5 minutes at least!)


Stay healthy my lovelies! Don't stress so much and to my fellow Sydney-siders - enjoy the sunshine!!!!
Up next: my exciting adventures on the set of the short feature film "Sapphires"
xoxo

VOGUE Fashion's Night Out

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you would know that last night many cities around the globe celebrated VOGUE Fashion's night out! Here in Sydney, we were the first to kick off the shopping bonanza at Westfield. I met up with my new BBF (best blogger friend :p) Margaret  - you can read her extensive coverage of FNO here - and we hit up Calvin Klein first. Greeted by cocktails and live mannequins, we took a few shots and had to dash elsewhere. Did I mention I also met some of Marg's blogger/photographer friends. Basically we became her entourage :). How cool is that?





With Marg by our side, we visited several shops including Lipsy and Sunburn (who were giving away free swimsuits! Although we didn't make it on time, Sophia was luckier than us though - see what was in her goodie bag here).
Lipsy




We also got access to Tiffany's! The jewellery was gorgeous (I mean what did you expect?!). In particular, I loved some of the pieces pictured below and the uber-cute mugs!













Customers enjoyed Tiffany's special offers to the tunes of a dj
Free popcorn from Tiffany's! Yum!
Our next stop - Salvatore Ferragamo! Delicious canapés (the likes of handmade tomato and parmesan marshmallows!), champagne and San Pelegrino flavoured water could not keep us from admiring the beautiful designs.




Customise  your pair of shoes
Not happy with the colour?
Ferragamo can make your chosen shoe design in any of these colours.







While running around from shop to shop, I spotted these amazing Dior babies...




This Dior dress is cute as well!
... and some lovely accessories by Kaboodle:





Our final stop was Forever New. I was enchanted by all the elegant and girly designs. Although not really my style, I loved quite a few pieces! See below:











Time for some fun! KitchenAid were giving away the yummiest cupcakes ever (in fact I had two and did an intense cardio work out today just to burn the extra calories off)!! But there were loads of other treats - apart from all the free champagne and wine, there was cotton candy, lollipops, hot chocolate and even pretzels!






FNO was not short of live entertainment too. DJs were present at almost every store as were live mannequins (models). Ruby Rose made sure the crowds outside were in a groovy mood despite the rain.

Ruby Rose rocking it.
Overall it was a great night, but according to VOGUE beauty writer Anni Hall last year's event was slightly different. The shops were more interactive with their customers by setting up photo booths. Nonetheless, I enjoyed FNO and being part of Marg's entourage!

Margaret

I should probably write some sort of a review of all the free goodies I've collected some time soon. Until then I bid you good bye. 
xo