Confessions of a periodic shopaholic

It's time for another installment of shopping diary. Final day of the Willow sale, 119 Kippax Street, Surry Hills on 16.05.2009.

1:00pm: Looking for the Willow warehouse in the back streets of Surry Hills. A light breeze blows and the streets are quiet, almost tranquil. Finally find the place and notice Willow's sparse advertising budget. Eye-catching.

Lap 1: The black dress at the Paddington store 4 months ago wasn't there. Sigh. Really love Willow designs... on other people. Damn the lack of form fittings, otherwise plenty of signature flowing dresses and they're fairly cheap. Eye off a dark purple sample baby doll dress which has an interesting collar. It's made of rectangle strips of fabric sewn diagonally creating an Emerald City/bird's nest-like structure for cleavage to reside in. Unfortunately it doesn't really fit, however am taking solace in that the fabric feel's somewhat dated anyways.

Lap 2: Try on a silvery gray knitted dress similar to sass & bide's soldier dress from wolfnation. Am also drawn to this lilac dress with a folded collar and rolled sleeves. The sleeves are very reminiscent of childhood anime costumes (from Voltron?) but it's too big. Spot a smaller size nearby on a rack but another girl is about to try it on too. Our eyes meet a couple of times and something's not quite right. Then mortification pours in; her arse cheeks are out in plain sight and it seems like she's gone commando. Am totally being a sleazy pervert but seriously can't stop glaring and praying she's at least wearing a g-string. Jeepers. Explains the dirties she's giving me, although seriously? Wear some pants, woman!

Lap 3: Have finally found a use for the flowing dresses. Grabbed a royal indigo silk flowing dress to change clothes from underneath. Woot! The sales assistants glance over every once in a while as if to wonder what the nutter in the corner is doing.

3:00pm: Still deliberating about the lilac dress. Come to the realisation that Willow dresses are like recently watched films. They start off strong, then fall apart as if suddenly directionless. Decide to get it anyways as it's cheap for Willow. Wow, free lingerie bags. How generous. Back at the car, there are some people sitting on steps up the street jamming away. Nice.

3:20pm: Lining up at Bourke Street Bakery, there's one more chocolate and sour cherry cookie left. Woohoo!

TOTALS: 6 acts committed at Willow; 1 dress, 5 lingerie pieces and 1 BSB cookie.

Facial Sunscreens

I am an avid believer in sunscreen and was shocked when a quick survey amongst some of my closest friends revealed that nobody else used any. So I thought it would be interesting to provide a brief summary of some of the facial sunscreens I've tried and tested over the years.

SUNSENSE Daily Face SPF30+ (Made in Australia): This seems to be one of the most recommended facial sunscreens by dermatologists probably due to the fact that it has a low-irritant formula and is therefore suitable for even the most sensitive skin conditions (acne, rosacea, etc). When my skin wreaks havoc, I reach for SunSense as I've found it to be the most gentle out of all the facial sunscreens I have used. However although it claims to have a "matt finish", I've never actually noticed this to be true and my skin seems to have a slight sheen to it upon application.



SKINCEUTICALS Sport UV Defense SPF45 (Made in USA): I became obsessed with this sunscreen a couple of years ago - even though it does have a very thick consistency I found it to be readily absorbed into the skin once rubbed in and therefore one of the least greasiest sunscreens I have encountered. What's more, it's claim of containing "transparent zinc oxide" (with zinc oxide being a highly effective in blocking UV rays) is actually true and I never encountered any white cast upon application. However, those with oilier skin types may find this a little too shiny for their liking.


HAMILTON Everyday Face SPF30+ (Made in Australia): One of my favourite sunscreens in high school, Hamilton Everyday Face provides probably the most matt finish out of all the facial sunscreens I've tried. However, I do recall that it still has a slightly greasy feeling upon application. The sunscreen has a slight tint to it but like it claims, this becomes invisible after application. This might be the closest you're going to get to a light moisturing sunscreen without looking too shiny.



NATURAL INSTINCT Mineral Sunscreen SPF30+ (Made in Australia): Having recently discovered the joys of organic skincare I was looking forward to extending this to my sunscreen and so promptly did some googling and found that mineral sunscreen was the way to go. I must admit I had very high hopes for this product but was so disappointed to discover that not only did the sunscreen not rub in well, it also left a very obvious white cast on my face. In my opinion, this stuff is probably better for your body than your face (and in all fairness it does not claim to be a facial sunscreen). So in the meantime, my hunt for a good facial mineral sunscreen continues.


THE CANCER COUNCIL AUSTRALIA Classic Sunscreen SPF30+ (Made in Australia): Unfortunately, this is very similar to the Natural Instinct sunscreen in that it does not absorb into the skin easily and leaves an obvious white cast on your face. Surprisingly, this is one of the only facial sunscreens on offer from The Cancer Council but I think it's more worth your while also using this on your body rather than your face.


LA ROCHE-POSAY Anthelios XL 50+ (Made in France): This product has been described as "the best sunscreen in the world" and I think it just might be (for now). It has become my grail sunscreen of late due to the fact that it hydrates my skin (which is now super-dry thanks to the cold weather), it absorbs easily without leaving any kind of residue (only feeling slightly greasy upon application) and it provides the perfect base for make-up. I did find it to be a tad too oily for my face in the summer months but for winter it's absolutely perfect.