Typo

Typo has been revolutionary for shopping for me, and my failproof gift store. When I first discovered it's cute and attitude filled shops popping up I was almost shocked to find they have the same parent company as Cotton On. You see, Cotton On used to be great to me but about five years ago I found that the quality of their clothes had dropped dramatically and I was squeezing myself into sizes that should've fit me. No my ass wasn't expanding that much, they had gone the way of Supre and become somewhat of a jersey wasteland.
Back on topic, Typo is filled to the brim with kitchy hipster like stationery and homewares, with new collections coming in on a frequent basis, because of this they have a great sales rack where I like to visit regularly and pick up the cast offs of ranges I love. The canvas' are a great and a cheap way of decorating rental houses, the cards aren't quite for your grandmother but are something you don't feel embarrassed handing to your best friend.
I particularly love the magentic notepads for your fridge, as well as the meal planners and do do lists (or the shit that needs doing' lists, lol) and I have noticed some of the more PC items popping up on the desks of my co workers.
I also have a collection of their coffee mugs, perfectly matchy in the all-the-same-shape-but-completely-different way.
I highly recommend paying them a visit if you're stuck on what to bu a fiend for their birthday as well, for under $20 they have saved my ass numerous times in last minute 'Fuck! The hell do I buy this person??' moments.

Ellery Sample Sale Brisbane

Christ, finding info for this event is like hunting a needle in a haystack. Here is what I've found:
Location: James street cottage, 67 James street Fortitude Valley
Dates: Friday August 5th, until Sunday August 7.
I'm not clear on hours, as my usual places to find such info are having a shitfit.

Bargain Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Black Drama Mascara!

Hey guys, just wanted to tell you all that during my mundane grocery shopping last night I spotted a great bargain. At my local Woolworths in Carindale, they were selling the new falsies mascara for $10! I'll be checking the catalogue and the woolies at McArthur Central to make sure it wasn't a one off.

Edit: Sorry everyone, it's looking like it was either a one off or the last day for it yesterday. My trip to McArthur Central was fruitless, and I can only find an ad for 20% off all cosmetics in this week's catalogue. It may still be available at Carindale, check near the freezer aisle if you're in the area!

Incoming: Block Colour

Ooooh, I have to say I love this trend, it's going to be huge for summer, and you may have already seen Hollywood wearing it, Rhianna looked great in Purple and Orange, Leona Lewis popped in Yellow and Pink, while Ashley Greene has a Pink and Black dress I want in my wardrobe ... Now.

There are some rules to doing this look to keep it as fashion forward as possible.
-Firstly You need the colours to work well together, the easiest way is to think back to art class, complementary colours, opposite complementary, analogous, and such all come in to play. Analogous colours are ones that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, like Green and blue. This applies mostly if you are doing it with bright colours. Think pairs like Orange and Purple, Fuchsia and Aqua, Red and Purple, think jewel tones, they look spectacular together.
-Don't forget classic colour blocks too, such as Red and Camel, and Black and practically every colour out there (but especially bright jewel tones).
-This trend works best with either silver or gold shoes, or nudes.
-For complete impact, do not wear with any article of clothing or accessory with prints.
-Do not use more then three colours, max.
-Keep your hair and make-up simple if you're wearing brights, they're punchy enough to do all the talking.
-Wear perhaps one bold accessory that speaks with your outfit, this is not the time for delicate jewelry.
-Experiment, if you have an awesome skirt you want to find a match for, take it shopping with you, ask shop assistants, it's what they're paid for!

Young Designers Market

Hmm, let me see, something to do next Sunday? Well there is this.
Want the clothing industry in Brisbane to grow?
The best way to do this is to support our fledgling designers, and they can be a little hard to find.
The first Sunday of every month the Young Designers Markets set up shop near the regular Southbank Markets on Little Stanley Street (mmm, churros).
Starting of with humble beginings, and occuring once every three months, the markets have grown in demand to occur on the first Sunday of every month, with stacks of returning and new stalls.
One  to look out for -that everyone says to look for- is the MSIT students stall. The TAFE fund this stall for the students to peddle their wares and make some money while they're slogging it out in their fashion courses. Check it out, and support a hard working and most probably poor student.
I'll be checking it out to see what's new and to pick up a few things to tell you about!