Hennes and who?

What does one wear to a Jamaican themed rooftop party? Dreadlocks? Rasta hat? A bobsled? Maybe just a big marijuana leaf?

Unfortunately I had none of these things in my carefully packed luggage. Secondly being new to town and this being my first ‘model party’ I thought rocking up looking like Bob Marley might be a bit keen. I literally I had nothing to wear. Yes I had a whole wardrobe of clothes but nothing that seemed right.

So when my roomies suggested a trip to H&M I jumped with excitement.

Hennes&Mauritnotz better known as H&M was established in Sweden in 1947. Since then it has rapidly expanded and now has over 2000 stores in 37 markets around the world. Unfortunately Australia isn’t one of them. We are seriously missing out.

H&M collections are created with their broad clientele in mind. As such there is everything from great basics to sportswear to high fashion. The women’s section took up two levels. I wanted to buy everything even the maternity section had some cute stuff. This is one of the few chain stores I’ve been to that is not over priced. The material and workman ship are decent and the clothes actually fit.

I picked up an awesome kiss inspired tee for just $100 HK dollar

s about 16 Aussie and a “Jamaican inspired” necklace for HK$50. They have a killer swimwear section; really cute materials and styles. Better still they have sizes ranging from 34 through to 46. I know I sound like a bad late-night infomercial but I really can’t get over the prices. Bikini tops are just HK$49 that’s about $8.

So for all those lucky ones jetting off to Europe and abroad if there’s a H&M I recommend taking your credit card for a little work out. While its not top end designer I think everyone will find something they love.

Check out the magazine at

HM SUMMER MAGAZINE

www.eyemagonline.net

Ps. Jamaican party theme apparently translates to 'wear black' in the model world- I didn’t get the memo!

Getting there is half the adventure:

My earliest memories of flying are all blissfully happy. The 1.5 hour trip from Melbourne to Sydney was a fun-filled adventure. Everything was free: activities book, colouring in pencils, headphones, in-flight movies and food. There was no stressing that I’d forgotten anything as obviously my parents packed my bag for me. I just had to sit back and enjoy everything the flight had to offer. My favourite game was seeing who could drink the most coke before needing to go to the toilet my little brother or me. Much to the very patient airhostesses delight my brother and I used to consume gallons of coke before one of us would eventually bolt to the bathroom. Oh yes sugar highs and colouring-in books the good old days.

Those days are gone. I’m old enough to book my own flights and too old for colouring in books. What used to be a fun filled adventure is now more of an ordeal. International flights can be anywhere from fun to hell. My flight to Hong Kong was somewhere in between.

Things were looking good- I had an aisle seat, I was sitting next to my boyfriend not a person with poor personal hygiene or anyone particularly large. I happily sat back and opened my in-flight magazine to select my movie of choice only to discover there was no movies-on-demand for this flight! Devastated I resigned myself to catching up on some beauty sleep.

I’m very jealous of people who can sleep sitting up. It is a skill I certainly do not possess. As such sleeping on a plane involves some very interesting positions not dissimilar to intermediate yoga. I think all up I maybe had four hours of restless, uncomfortable slumber. I awoke with my head resting at an uncomfortable angle on a very hard arm rest, my mouth wide open probably spilling drool, both legs shoved under the opposite arm rest intruding into my boyfriends space, my arm was dead and my neck already aching. Confused I looked around to see what woke me. To my left was a chirpy, Malaysian airhostess politely enquiring if I wanted the chicken or the omelette for breakfast. In my half conscience state I chose the omelette. Very bad choice! It was soggy, cold and a suspiciously fluorescent yellow colour. Disappointed and hungry I tried to head back to the land of sleep.

The trip from KL to Hong Kong was much nicer. Movies-on-demand was available. Hallelujah! I made myself comfortable and settled in to watch It’s Complicated. After devouring my croissant and mini fruit salad I adjourned to the bathroom for a little me time. I brushed out my hair, deodorized, moisturized my face and dabbed a little concealer under my eyes. Feeling ten times better I prepared to land in Hong Kong.

As we descended into Hong Kong like a little kid I gazed excitedly out the window. The city looks like something from the future. Cradled by forest-covered mountains are skyscrapers so high they break through the low cloud. It’s really quiet beautiful.

From the airport we went straight to the agency then straight to castings. Running on fruit salad and a lot of adrenalin we traipsed around the city: from Kowloon to Causeway Bay back to the agency to the apartment to dinner to dragon-i before finally collapsing into bed.

Hong Kong I’m already falling for you.

Top tips for flying:

1. Wear whatever you like to the airport but take comfortable clothes to wear on the plane. No one cares if you look like a bum when your mid flight. I usually wear boots onto the plane to save space in my suitcase-, which by the way was 8 kg over the limit oops!

2. Those goofy looking neck pillows are amazing. You might think you look silly wearing it but trust me your neck will thankyou for it.

3. Drink lots of water. You can’t take bottle onto the plane due to the 100ml liquid limits. Just ask the flight attends very politely. Don’t drink alcohol you’ll feel like awful.

4. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. The controlled air pressure in planes dehydrates your skin. I recommend Clinique moisture surge it leaves skin feeling rejuvenated and plump.

5. Relax don’t complain you’re going on a fun adventure and remember getting there is half the fun.

Thirst Quencher

I’m one of the least co-ordinated and most accident-prone people I know. If there’s an open flame I will burn myself. I there’s a sharp edge I will scratch myself. If there’s a slightly uneven surface I will trip.

Add to this equation a pair of three inch heels and a few vodka sodas and there’s a 90% chance I will end up with a new scratch or bruise by morning. Even when I’m not drinking I still manage to injure myself. Thus it is no surprise a smattering of unsightly scars mars my body.

But I have found my saviour: Bio-oil.

Bio-oil is a skincare product specifically designed to improve the appearance of scars and stretch marks. I originally bought it to help heal a particularly prominent carpet burn scar I acquired whilst wrestling with my boyfriend.

After reading the packet I was delighted to learn that bio-oil promises to improve the appearance of both new and old scars. So now every morning all my scars receive a smothering of bio-oil.

I’m usually very sceptical of what actually goes in skincare products. But the active ingredients all seem very practical. There’s vitamins A and E which are widely used in the skincare industry. Both very well known for helping improve the skins elasticity, texture and tone. Then an assortment of plant oils- Calendula, Lavender, Rosemary and Chamomile, which have been used for centuries to treat skins conditions such as eczema.

The ‘breakthrough’ ingredient is PurCellin oil. This is a laboratory recreation of the oil ducks produce to preen their feathers with. During preening ducks distribute this oil all over their feathers. The oil forms a thin non-greasy layer that keeps their feather glossy and protects them from water. The PurCellin oil is what makes this product so light and absorbent. Without it the plant oils and vitamins would remain on the skins surface as an oily residue.

Please note the PurCellin Oil in Bio Oil is synthetically produced. Union Swiss has a strict policy against testing on animals. No ducks where harmed in the formulation or production of Bio-oil.

I was very impressed with the results. Yes I think my scars have faded a little but more noticeably my skin is so soft. I’ve now started using bio oil everywhere, even on my face.

Everyone’s skin is unique. Some people have skin as flawless as a babies bum and some have small volcanoes threatening to erupt all over their face. My problem isn’t mini mountains its small deserts. Strange dry patches like to appear on my face whenever there’s a slight change in temperature, my hormones or whenever I have an important occasion coming up.

If you already have normal or oily skin I wouldn’t recommend using bio oil on your face. But if, like me, your skin is dryer than the Sahara this stuff is a god-send. It’s not greasy or thick as you’d expect. It’s light and easily absorbed. It leaves your skin feeling hydrated and plumper. It also smells very pleasant.

Winter can be a hard time for skin. We tend to blast our heaters and pack on the foundation. Add to that low humidity, harsh winds and long hot showers and it’s no wonder our skin is lacking moisture.

So if like me your accident prone or your skin looks thirsty I recommend Bio-oil. Smaller, less-noticeable scars and hydrated, plumper skin.

I mean really, have you ever seen a duck with bad skin?