In Defence of Twitter Feminism

This is something I've been wanting to talk about for a while, but a recent flurry of derisive articles decrying "twitter feminism" and online activism in general have brought it back to the front of my mind. I'd rebut these articles directly, but plenty of much smarter people have already got that under control. What I want to talk about is this whole perception that what happens on Twitter doesn't really matters in the scheme of things, the idea that Twitter in particular is just a bunch of spoiled brats complaining to empty air. I want to talk about this idea that "twitter feminism" doesn't matter, that all the discussions and movements are without substance because it's not happening in the "real world."

I think this is total, utter, bullshit.

Don't Be Afraid of The Blues

When I was a little teenage proto Cassie, I already believed that the realm of makeup was full of unbreakable, inarguable rules, before I ever picked up my first lipstick. You must wear this, but only if X, in which case you must wear Y. You must NEVER wear Z, especially not with W, and on and on and on. I got the impression from my purloined copies of Cosmo and what I could glean from wiser friends that all makeup other than totally neutral, bland looks was "tacky", and obviously I didn't want to be tacky. But these looks were...well, kind of dull. It didn't really seem worth learning all these rules just so I could play with like, four colours of eyeshadow, and two lipsticks. The only payoff I was promised for all this effort, maybe, if I did everything JUST right, was a slightly prettier face. Well, bugger that, I thought. I'd rather read another book than bother with this.

Ironically, I am actually wearing some makeup in this picture.

Lush Christmas Product Review

As a follow up to my total humblebrag post about attending the Lush Sydney Blogger Event, I wanted to go through and give you all a good thorough look at the enormous array of goodies we were given in the loot bag handed out at this event.

First up are the glorious little bundle of bath bombs we were given - Shoot For The Stars, Bombardino, Secret Santa, and (technically a bubble bar) Candy Mountain.

They're still in their bags for this group shot because my lightbox has a black velvet backdrop at the moment
and I was NOT interested in trying to clean it after putting bath bombs on it.

Lush Blogger Event Sydney - December

Let me tell you a story about long ago...well, a couple of years ago. I moved into a share house with an old friend and his lovely girlfriend, and soon discovered she worked at some shop I'd never heard of called Lush. She always smelled AMAZING, and her bathroom was always overflowing with fizzy bath bombs, and delicious soaps, and mysterious powders and lotions. After about the fiftieth time I asked why she smelled so delightful all the time, she insisted I try some of her wonderful things. From then on...well, I was pretty hopelessly converted. Now I'm the kind of shopper who wanders into Lush of a lunchtime and look like I'm browsing aimlessly, but when the unsuspecting shop assistant comes over to help me I can rattle off the exact specifications of what I'm looking for. I've been using their henna ever since I stopped dying my hair crazy colours, and always make sure I have one of the Godiva shampoo bars on hand. While I know there are some less awesome things about the company as a whole, I know what products I like and I quite like an awful lot of Lush.

Lush stores are just ridiculously fun to photograph.

Shameless Crosspromotion

Just a quick little note to let you all know that the lovely people at Kiki and Tea have graciously published a rather serious, sad, and personal piece of mine about loss, regret, and painting.

If you want to trundle over and take a look, it's right here: All That You Can't Get Back

The Balancing Act of Ethical Choices

You might have noticed from reading this blog that I have some pretty strong opinions about a lot of things. I have things I am very much For, and things I am Against, and I like to uphold my opinions in the form of action through ethical choices wherever possible. I'm very much For independent small businesses, and so I like to buy from them wherever possible. I'm very against fur for fashion, so I avoid buying clothes that involve fur. But these are very simple, straight forward examples. When it comes to buying cosmetics the idea of ethical choices can become an almost impossible quagmire.

Choosing cosmetics is a complex proposition at the best of times. Before I buy something, I will always consider quite a few different factors - does it REALLY work the way it says it will? Will I actually use it? Do I REALLY like it? Can I afford it? This last question in particular can be a real make or break one for a lot of people, and honestly, I think that if you're in that sort of financial situation you can go ahead and have a pass on fussing about whether your choices are as ethical as they could be. If you have to wear lipstick to your minimum wage job or you'll get fired, and the only one you can afford it tested on animals? Then you just go ahead and buy whatever you have to, you'll get no shade or shame from me. Ethical considerations are essentially a middle class issue, something that only becomes relevant when you have some sort of disposable income that you can spend as you please. Luckily, I'm in a situation where I can afford (most of) what I want, so the other two points are the main factors for me.

Furless Cosmetics: Chrome Polish Review

I first came across Furless Cosmetics while eyeballing their delightful range of brushes, but I `noticed recently they've added a range of cruelty-free, Big 3 Free polishes. The colours they had were nice, but mostly a bit plain for my taste - however, when they offered me the chance to road test their new chrome collection, I was delighted! You all know how I love the shiny!

The thing that jumped out at me about these polishes right out of the box is the stunning bottles they come in - and these aren't just for the chrome collection, all their polishes come in these beautiful bottles.

L-R, this is Polished and Actress

L-R this is Chic, Superstar, and Filthy Rich

It's true that presentation isn't everything, but these are just stunning. The heavy glass and chrome lids make them feel much more luxurious than their actual price would suggest, and the bottle is delightfully difficult to knock over - anyone who's accidentally nudged a bottle over on their coffee table will no doubt agree with me that this is an enormous plus.

Why are Women the Marshalls of Fun?

This post is going to be one big long rant about heterosexual people problems, so if that's not something you're interested in, consider yourself warned.

The marketing team behind Xbox have been working their little butts off lately, attempting to completely blanket all and every media with the glorious news that the new console is nearly here, OMG, let's set off fireworks etc etc. At first, the only thing I found annoying about the campaign was how totally comprehensive it was - I am perfectly aware the new console is coming out, and would really like it if I could stop reading out it now. However, considering this is from a company that are pretty notorious for making sexism related PR bungles, over saturation is a pretty small niggle. I actually even saw an ad for the new Xbox that I liked! They released a cute little ad called "His and Hers" that depicts a hot girl demanding her boyfriend turn off the soccer so she can kill some zombies, and while it's a little pandering, it's also pretty fun.

I don't think my hair has ever been this perfectly styled, but otherwise this is a pretty
accurate depiction of a girl gaming.

Then I came this charming little customisable letter put out by Xbox (and very swiftly redacted) as part of the promotional effort for their new console. If you click on this to view it full size you should be able to read the text.

Foiled Again! Epic Nail Foil Transfers review

I'd say I'm sorry for the title, but I'm sure you all know how much I love groan worthy puns by now, so you wouldn't believe me even if I did.

As a relative newbie to world of nail "stuff", I've seen nail foils mentioned quite a bit, usually in close conjunction with "dammit, why won't these cursed things work?!" Like watermarbling, I'd put them aside as something that would be nice to play with at some stage, but that looked rather too tricky for my clumsy fumblings just now. However Epic Nail, an Australian based purveyor of nail goodies, was kind enough to offer me one of their Kaleidoscope Nail Foil Kits to review, which seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up just because I was worried about messing them up.

The Kaleidoscope Nail Foil Kit in all it's shininess