Belinda chats about the enduring nature of the Little Black Dress

Superman has his S on his Chest… I have my LBD

When at a complete loss as to what to wear to any event, and yes I mean any event, the Little Black Dress is an absolute must have in the wardrobe of any girl above 16 (younger if you’re parents agree).

Here’s 3 examples of how one LBD can go from shopping with the girls at a beach front market, to a job interview, to an after 5 evening event.

The idea is to get a simple yet classy basic dress and use shoes, hair styling, jackets and accessories to match it to the event as appropriately as possible. The more basic the dress, the more impact it will have, and the more flexible it will be when switching events.

Shopping trip at the Gold Coast? Why not be sophisticated and comfortable at the same time. Ballet flats or pretty flip flops and a cute over the shoulder bag are a great idea, slap on a hat if you’re going to be out in the sun. Lip gloss and a swipe of mascara should be enough for the makeup.

Job interview? Why not add a briefcase, a blazer and some low heels to look put together and tidy. This is where the less is more theory comes into play. So keep the jewellery and makeup minimal.

Audrey Hepburn wore the most iconic LBD in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. You may never have seen the film, however almost anyone would recognise that simple yet elegant representation of how something can be taken to the next level with accessories, and an up do.

For an after 5 event, be it a wedding or a semi formal work event, the theme is go big or go home. Add a fabulous jacket, higher sparkly heels, an evening bag and outrageous jewellery to make that LBD work to it’s full potential.

You don’t have to have the budget of a Kardashian to have class.

Most trends will come and go, but the LBD will forever be a staple in any smart woman’s wardrobe.

Having everyone tell you about needing a good night’s rest around exam time can sometimes be counter productive. You think about it, worry about it so much, that the next thing you know, you’re battling insomnia and are catching a nap in English class.

Here are ten tips to try to get things back on track… hopefully before the insomnia gets out of control.

#1 Sort out a to do list for the next day so you can stop thinking so hard about what needs to be done.

#2 Caffeine should be avoided at least 6 hours before bed.

#3 Have a warm bath (try using a lavender-based body wash to kick the body into low gear)

#4 Camomile tea (tastes nasty but does the trick)

#5 Comfy Pj’s.

#6 Dark room at the right temperature (cool is better than warm).

#7 Try to get into a routine and stick to a bed time.

#8 Send your phone calls to message bank if you MUST use your mobile phone for an alarm, if you don’t, remember to turn them off, and put them in another room to avoid the temptation of checking social network sites in the middle of the night.

#9 Listen to a relaxation CD. (Best one I’ve ever used was by Tottie Goldsmith  )

#10 Try not to nap in the afternoon as this can throw off your sleep pattern.

If you would like to add your own tips to this mix go ahead, and remember to let us know if you try out the tips and they work for you.

Sweet dreams!

Teen angel – adult demon!  Belinda Hamilton discusses growing up in the public eye.

It is such a stereotype of the child actor, rebelling, making huge mistakes, taking drugs, and being arrested when they’re on the cusp of adulthood.

Lets name a few shall we? Johnny Depp, Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, Lyndsey Lohan… yeah, you’ve got the point.

Are they actually doing anything abnormal for their age bracket? OR are they lashing out harder to make an identity outside of the clean cut, perfection the public are expecting them to continue until they die?

Is the behaviour they’re exhibiting ‘just part of growing up’?

Do we, as the public, have a right to expect the ‘role models’, fed to us by mainstream media, to act a certain way, dress a certain way and abstain from unethical behaviour?

I found a clip on YouTube by TheFineBros of a group of teens around Miley Cyrus’ age bracket who were asked to comment on her recent music videos. They were Rumor 17, Toir 15, Eric 16, Jeanie 18, Sam 17, Ethan 15, Madison 18, Alix 17, Shant 17, and Rachel 17.

Many of them were reacting to Miley as an extension of her former TV role as Hannah Montana. Could the reason for Miley’s rebellious period be based out of utter frustration, when as a whole, the public are forgetting that Hannah was fictional?

A few compared her clip to the behaviours of Lyndsey Lohan, and so many of them were adamant her conduct was inappropriate, and was for attention seeking purposes only.

Our teen years are supposed to begin the evolution of our adult selves, which is a really daunting thought (and if you’re stressing, imagine how much your parents are holding their breath).

Our brains aren’t completely finished connecting up, peer pressure is rampant and risk-taking and rebellion are just a part of life. However, fingers are continually being pointed at the celebrity element. Blaming them for the unacceptable behaviour of non-famous teens all the way around the developed world.

Isn’t it up to parents to be the primary role models of their kids, then to point them in the direction of worthwhile non family members to mentor and model their behaviours by?

Does a celebrity’s rebellious streak make you like them more or can it make you lose all respect for them?

Check out the clip and leave us a comment. I would love to know what you think.

(Gross out alert!!)

I’m sitting here with a bin full of snotty tissues and a body smeared with Vicks. But with allergies that prevent the use of any flu fighting medications, what do I normally do to knock a cold on the head?

Love the liquids!

Thyme tea; I grow lemon thyme in my garden. (Actually I just planted it and it just didn’t die… what, that’s growing it isn’t it?) I grab a small sprig of the thyme and pour boiling water over it, leave it steep for a minute and let it cool a little then drink it. Not too much of this though. Try a whole bunch of teas, chamomile sounds good too.

A steam facial with a sprig of lavender. To do this, pour boiled water over the lavender in a largish bowl and carefully cover your head with a towel over the bowel. Remember you are working with steam and boiling water. Be careful not to burn yourself.  I usually do this on my lounge room floor so I can hang my head a little to drain the sinuses.  You can use lavender oil in lieu of the actual plant.

Chicken for dinner. If anyone in my family is feeling under the weather, I pull out the chicken for dinner. Whether it be tinned chicken soup, homemade chicken soup, a chicken curry or sweet and sour, it seems to  work… that or people stop acting sick just so they can have something else for dinner.

Hot showers. Lather up the areas just under your collar bones, and add a little pressure. Also massage along the cheeks (on your face). Don’t forget to get rid of as much nose muck as you can.

Use Vicks on your feet. After your hot shower put Vicks on your feet and put socks on (rumoured to help with coughs!).

Pressure points. There are a couple of pressure points I push on to help ease sinus pressure. One is on the webby bit between your thumb and first finger and the other is on the top of the foot between the big toe and the second toe.

One thing I haven’t tried that I think would help, but looks weird, is a Neti Pot. Basically you’re washing your nasal cavity.

REST! Get as much sleep as you can.

Stock up on tissues and movies that bore you to tears.

Feel better soon!

Belinda talks watches.

Watch It!

I have this awful tan line happening on my left arm right now thanks to my watch. This wouldn’t be happening if I changed up the type of watches I used during the week (or used more sunscreen). I figured I’d take a look at a few different styles of watch to see what you all thought would be kinda cool to use.

When I was in high school, the must-have watch was a Baby G by Casio.  They never really did anything for me back then, nor do they now because my arms are so thin. What can I say? It’s a curse.

The other most famous type of watch going around when I was a kid was a Swatch watch  and believe me they’ve come a LOOONG way from slapping a branded piece of plastic to your arm. There are actually some on there I would love to wear. However the online store isn’t available to Australia. Booo!

For the classical look you can go with a fob watch, or a pocket watch. These would make a nice day to day look. For a dramatic addition to a steam punk outfit you can try and find one that has all the moving parts visible. Check them out on E Bay. *sigh* So pretty.

To get really picky you can always just do away with the watch all together and rely on the clock on your mobile phone. But since my battery is always flat, I’d do better with a sun dial on a cloudy day.

Anyway, I hope I’ve triggered a fashion trend change. If none of these worked for you I’d love to hear which watches are making you tick.