J- CUTE

Yes, I am aware that my Lady Bird ear phones are Beyond the Valley of the Cute. Thank you to darling Leisey for buying them for me, and thank you to The Institute of Cute, Byron Bay, Australia, for stocking such cuteosity-filled products :)

R - Nihonjins!!!

Okay the Japanese have got to be some of the cutest people ever and they have some rather fabulous fashion styles. I thought Id make a list of a few of the more notable ones. Here goes:
1. They wear t-shirts that say things in english that make absolutely no sense. Its so funny reading them all but unfortunately for us we cant copy this little bit of cute as it wouldn't be cute on us. People would just think you're kinda stupid.
2. Their range of high socks and stockings is rather fabbity fab. They have shops just devoted to them (do we have them in Australia, I've never seen one so I thought it was pretty cool) Anyway the thing about high socks is that they're so versatile. You can wear them with basically anything; dresses, skirts, shorts, heels, sneaker etc etc etc.
3. Another thing I noticed they do is wear heaps of layers. Their outfit may consist of - a t-shirt, a dress, a cardigan/jumper and pants. Its like they're trying to wear one of every clothing item, and they can pull it off too cause they are just so cute!!
4. If you're looking for fake nails or fake eyelashes then Japan's the place to go. Honestly their nails are bordering on ridiculous. I don't know how they do anything while they're wearing them!
Wearing fake eyelashes seems to be the norm over there cause they wear them everyday. I don't know if their eyelashes are shorter than ours or something but they look really natural on them

5. One of my favourite looks is the cute school girl. Little plaid skirts, vests, big cardigans, bows and high socks or even leg warmers. The best part about it is that it's actually their school uniform, its not just a look that they're going for.


Well thats my little ramble about Japanese fashion. Oh and obviously when i say 'they' i dont mean every single Japanese person, just some of them, ruh reader ruh.

J- Outfit #4

I was given this oversized, grey, very ugly t-shirt, by my next host dad, because he works for the council over here in France, and likes to give away free council clothing to foreigners. I was actually really excited, because it gave me the oppurtunity to cut something up, without regrets:) I chopped the collar off, and cut a little V in the neckline for something interesting, then I slit the sides so I could tie them into knots to make the tee more fitted. And, of course, I rolled up the sleeves to hide the Conseil General logo. Its not high fashion, but at least its wearable. And it was a lot of fun. Gotta lobe DIY.

R - LOU DOILLON

Model.Actess.French.Fabulous

J- Just Cool: Bob Dylan

Musician. Poet. Just incredibly cool.

R - I Don't Think So

Okay so Ballina + fashion = the look you give someone when you're trying not to sway their opinion but you really want to. Ballina just isn't a very fashionable place. I'm not saying that everyone in Ballina is a crappy dresser, its just too commercial. There's too many people that only shop at Supre and think they've got what it takes to become a fashion designer.
So here's my recommendation to you:
If you like being creative and out there with your clothes, don't live in Ballina. You shouldn't care what people think of what you're wearing as long as you love it, but there's just so much fabulous stuff that you just can't wear in a little rural semi-bogan town. Go live in the city, I'm sure you'll find it much more suited to your tastes.

J- When you just wanna feel Australian...

Okay, so I've been living in France for over a month now, and after a lifetime of wishing for pale English-rose skin, brown curly locks, rolling green hills, and endless drizlling rain, I am actually beginning to long for all things surf, sand, and sun! Ironic, I know. So, my goal for this year, besides learning as much as possible French-wise, is to remain as Australian as I can without being? I dunno, pretentious.

Here is my survival kit:

1. Paw Paw cream. It is so dry here, and my lips just dont know how to handle it, having spent their childhood in the humid, Aussie weather. So Pawpaw cream, made in good old Queensland, Australia, is essential. Every 5 minutes. Really.

2. Blondifying Shampoo. I havent been truly blonde for a long time, but there is still a hint of glod beneath that sheet of crappy mousey brown... and I plan on clinging to it!!!!

3. Gradual tanner. I hate being white. It feels so...um.. FAT. Like really unhealthy and dull. So I bought some lovely Granier gradual tanner to keep me glowing.

4. Palmers cocobutter. I dont think its Australian, but it is soooo good. And it smells like The Body Shop which is my fave beauty store in Oz.

5. Most importantly, my Aussie playlist on my Ipod. Yves Klein Blue, INXS, Midnight Oil, Pete Murray, Cat Empire... the list goes on and on. God, we are a musically awesome nation!!

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!! OI OI OI!

Oh, by the way, we so do not say "Throw another shrimp on the barbie!" I mean, what the fuck is a shrimp? We call them prawns, honey!! At least, I think we do... seriously what is a shrimp??



Paw Paw cream on all its brilliance. And moi, giving it a well-deserved snog!

R - It's LOVE

RAIN - It's so pretty and nice and when it's all finished everything feels cleaner. Sometimes a big rain storm is just what you need to wash all your problems away. I love the smell of it and the feel on your skin but the best thing to do when its raining is to get a rain date :) Find someone and go out into the rain and dance and get completely soaked and just lose it! Trust me you'll feel so good afterwards and it's oodles of fun. Or if you don't like getting wet just get an umbrella and go out for a walk, or snuggle up on the couch with a big blanket and watch your favourite movie :)



NAIL POLISH - Painting my nails is becoming one of my favourite things to do. I can't even remember the last time my nails werent coloured. Baby Pink, Blue, peach andblack are my favourites. So i'd just like to put it out there that painting your nails black is not emo. Black nails and a cute dress are a fabulous combo and not emo in the slightest.



FRANKIE MAGAZINE - What more can I say, honestly it's fabbity fab with knobs on!



TARTAN - Awesomity filled, Marvellous, Stupendous and rather Swell

J- Rant # 2

After 11 years of wearing a school uniform (baggy shirt andnavy nylon shorts... great..), school in France (without a uniform or even a dress code! Wooh!) is, unsurprisingly, very refreshing. All these kids, letting their personalities shine through their outfits. I could just sit and people watch for hours, discovering new style ideas, and different groups... different patterns in the way they dress.

Because there are patterns. In the French schooling system, you choose a line, when you are about 16 years old, which has the appropriate subjects for your interests or your chosen career (pressure much??) I think there is something like a scientific line, an economics line, and a literature line. I am in the literature one, and it is amazing how obvious it is that these kids are into art and books. They express it so well through their clothes! For the most part, my class likes to wear huge hemp harem pants, thick eyeliner, bold jewellery, and loads of layers and scarves. There are, of course, a few acceptions: the kids that dont care about fashion at all and just stick to the same pair of jeans and dorky black zip-up jacket day after day, and the girls who dress in the more sophisticated, preppy way- black trench, white blouse, skinny jeans, and knee high boots.

If you take a look at the kids from the other subject lines, they tend to be a bit more randomly dressed- like they arent all trying to be different in the same way-, though the 2 main looks are preppy (think Blai Waldorf with less colour) and American rapper (think big hoop earrings, hoodies, tracksuit pants, and massive Nike sneakers).

I just feel like going around with a camera and taking pics of everyone! But that might not go down to well... especially considering my French ain't too swell. But when it is, I promise I'll start!! It'll be tres brill :)

J- Je n'ai pas assez d'argent :(

Okay, so yesterday afternoon, I finished school at 3, meaning I had like 2 hours to fill before the bus arrived. So, because this is France, and you can just walk in and out of school as you please (cool, huh), my friend and I walked into town for a shopping session. Well, on her part, because I, unfortunately, have no money at the moment. Like literally, none. Vair sad, I know, and it was even sadder when I discovered the shoes of my dreams and couldnt afford to buy them! They were converse. And they had the UK flag on them. And "The Who" written on the tongue. Just so you know, I am absolutely osessed with the UK. If anything, no matter how ugly, is remotely related to Britain, I want it. I really really really want these Cons. So, I've told myself that if they are still their when I get my monthly allowance, I will buy them. Fingers crossed...

Gosh, aren't they perfection in a shoe?

Because Lists Are Vair Practical

CUTE MOVIE MOMENTS....
Honestly who doesn't absolutely LOOOBBBEEE them!! So i thought I'd make a list of some classic cute movie moments. Here goes:
1. Noah hanging off a Ferris Wheel just to get a date with Allie - The Notebook
2. The fish tank scene in Romeo + Juliet
3. Dave the Laugh calling Georgia beautiful - Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging
4. The pool scene - Romeo + Juliet
5. The end of the last ep of Gossip Girl season 2 when Chuck finally says 'I love you' (I know it's not a movie but it is cute!!)

J- Current Obsession... Obsessions actually

La Boum- Its this French, 1970-something (or maybe 1980-something..?), teenage movie. I cant understand a word of French, but it was so awesome taht I still laughed all the way through it.



Georgia Jagger- Go look her up on Google images. She is quite literally almost as cool as her dad... and thats saying alot, because Mick Jagger is very, very cool.

Burberry Trench Coats- You know, those classic, beige, ridiculously expensive, ridiculously gorgeous ones. This obsession was inspired by Burberry's website, artofthetrench.com. Check it out.



Yves Klein Blue's "About the Future"- This is a song by this semi new and very good Australian band, Yves Klein Blue. If you dont know who they are, go on youtube or myspace or something and have a listen!! They are fantastic!! My favourite songs are About the Future, Getting Wise, and Summer Sheets.

Skins Season 4- I have been watching it on youtube and is fabbity fab with knobs on!!! And its was Freddies episode last last week! Aaaaaaah!!!!


Tea- Very Jane Austen, I think.

Letters- As in the old fashioned, yes-it-takes-2-weeks-but-thats-okay, snail mail kind. They are so fun to send, and even better to recieve :)

Kickers- They are these boots that I'd never heard of before I arrived in France, but am now obsessed with. I dont know how to describe them, so just go look it up if you're that desperate. I bought some the other day and I loooooobe them. Not quite as much as I love Converse and Doc Martens, but still lots.



The Sixties- Bob Dylan, Edie Sedgwick, Bridget Bardot, Andy Warhol, hek, even Austin Powers! Love it.

Coldplay- Partly because they are awesome music-wise, partly because what they do for Oxfam, especially Make Trade Fair, is amazing. And partly because Chris Martin is a hottie. And he is like the most British person I have ever seen. And I love British people.

J- Outfit #3

First day back at school.
Thought I'd channel my inner Where's Wally?

R - Fashion Update: Gap Teeth

People with bad teeth are ussually extremely conscious of them. So if you don't have the perfect pearly whites here's something to boost your confidence. I've made a little list of gorgeous models who dont have perfect teeth

1. Lara Stone


2. Jennier Pugh


3. Georgia Jagger


4. Jessica Hart