Koi Pond

I've been wanting to try the "koi" themed nails and finally did a set combining ONS and Nfu.Oh powders/technique to achieve the desired effects.

Breaking News on Gemma from Grazia Magazine

To read the full story, see this weeks Grazia Magazine (Australian).

She has just turned 21, has millions in the bank and is in huge demand by the film and fashion worlds alike. But model and actress Gemma Ward has become a virtual recluse since the death of her then-boyfriend Heath Ledger in January this year.

Close friends in the New York modelling world say she is still “in bits” and finding it hard to cope with the fact that he died so suddenly, just as their fledgling romance had become serious.

Immediately after Heath’s death attention focused on his alleged relationship with Mary-Kate Olsen. But at Heath’s funeral in Perth, the scale of Gemma’s devastation attracted the attention of other mourners.

She and Heath had managed to keep their almost two-month romance quiet, with only close friends and family aware of the relationship when Heath was found dead from an accidental overdose of prescription pills in his New York apartment.

Gemma’s grief has been compounded in recent weeks by the release of moving footage of Heath in his last film, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, which he was shooting at the time of his death.

A close friend of Gemma’s in New York tells Grazia: “The truth is her world came crashing down when Heath died. Their relationship was at a fledgling stage but she had really fallen for him. It was all so sudden, it was pretty hard to take in. I don’t think anyone can underestimate how hard this has been for her.”

In the months since his death, Gemma has spent time travelling, trekking across Nepal and taking a road trip across Australia in a bid to “find herself” again and focus on the future.

But apart from two catwalk shows and a shoot that appears in this month’s Spanish marie claire, the model-turned actress has turned down all offers of work since Heath’s death.

Far from embracing the hectic social life of her New York base, Gemma spends most of her time in the company of her mother Claire, refusing invitations to parties and other events.

Gemma and Heath met around September last year following his split from actress Michelle Williams, with whom he had a daughter, Matilda.

Friends say Gemma initially spurned 28-year-old Heath’s advances but he followed her around like “a lost puppy”.

The friend says: “At first Gemma was apprehensive. She didn’t really want to get involved but as time went on she was really attracted to him, he was so sweet. They had so much in common, in the end Gemma just couldn’t resist his charms.”

The two were just friends until December, when romance blossomed and they travelled back to Australia together for Christmas. They bonded over their Perth origins and Heath loved Gemma’s down-to-earth attitude, despite her fame and fortune.

Gemma’s father said his daughter had made Heath “really happy” during that last holiday together. Gemma found a kindred spirit in Heath, who, like her, found fame at a young age. At 17, she replaced Kate Moss as the face of Calvin Klein’s Obsession, before being chosen by John Mayer to star in a music video. Her beauty and free spirit made her a favourite of icons such as Karl Lagerfeld and won her contracts with Prada, YSL, Gucci and Chanel.

To read the full story, see this weeks Grazia Magazine (Australian).

That's so sad to hear that she's been suffering!

Love Always xoxo

S.A.A.

Sunday Girl

Image: Russh Australia. Photography: Bec Parsons.

Love Always xoxo
S.A.A.

Dusk to dawn....

Inspired by colors of dawn to dusk and accented with blooming roses and an ethnic touch.

Grape & Vines

OPI lookalike with Nfu.Oh Logo....What's NEXT ????

Incidentally, I came across an article while surfing about how to identify fake designer labels and I saved the article.

It doesn't take an expert to identify some fake designer products.

1. Price - If it's really inexpensive, it's probably fake. There may be some little old lady who died and left designer bags to her children who don't know what they've got, but that's rarer now with more brand/value awareness.

2. Design - Designer products come in a limited combination of colors and patterns. Learn the patterns and designs that you like, go to the designer store (if there's one near you) and look at the real thing. That will give you an "eye" for the fakes. Patterns will be too big, too bold, or not big and bold enough. Color schemes will be different.

3. Description - If the description says: "like " or "compares to ", or similar language, it's a knock-off. In some industries, fakes are okay. In designer and brand name products, ALL fakes are illegal, even if they're actually described as fakes.

4. Quality - As others have mentioned, how the product is put together can identify a fake. But many people don't know the fine details that differentiate designer-quality goods. For clothing it may be additional stitching in the seams, hand-sewing vs. machine-sewing, the quality of the materials, etc. For handbags, it may be the type of hardware and how much hardware is on the bag, quality of stitching, quality of leather, size, shape, color, pattern, etc. The inside liner may have to be a specific color. Logos alone do not always help you identify the fakes.

5. Labels - Read labels CAREFULLY. Sometimes the designer's name is misspelled. The grammar isn't correct. Trademark information, if appropriate, is missing. The logos or font face are wrong.

6. Source - Are you buying this item from a reputable source? Be aware that length of time in business, price for items, and number of satisfied customers does not make a source reliable. Lots of buyers who don't know how to identify a fake will accept a fake as real and be very happy with the product because they think it's genuine.

It does take an expert to identify others.

7. Sometimes you can't identify a genuine brand name item without expert knowledge or resources. In particular, fine jewelry may be marked "Tiffany" or "Cartier" and be fake. Unless you know the specific year/mark identifiers or the models of jewelry produced by the company, it's not always possible to identify a fake. Tiffany & Co. charge $500 to authenticate items (last time I checked a couple of years ago). Rolex watches are notorious for fakes. I've heard that Rolex has a list of x ways to identify a genuine Rolex, some of which require taking the back off the watch and inspecting the works. Only an expert should attempt this type of verification or you risk damaging the watch. Fine jewelry stores that routinely sell Rolex should have this list and some pawn shops that pawn or buy high-end watches may have this list. It's very unlikely that they'll show or give you a copy of the list because if the list got into the wrong hands, it would be a way for a faker to know what to fake.

The bottom line is -- if you want to know for certain that you're buying the genuine article, your best bet is to 1) pay full price at the designer's store or authorized source, or 2) really dig into the details of the item you desire so you know it inside and out.

I can understand the reason behind knock offs for designer goods because it's not really affordable for most average people, but nail polish ??? C'mon they can't be serious ? They couldn't copy the bottle, they decided to copy the color :(

My Alter Ego

One of my favourite editorials... Sexy Black.

Images: Grazia Magazine Australia. Photography: Kane Skenner. Styling: Mark Vassallo. Model: Tallulah Morton

Love Always xoxo
S.A.A.